


The Safety of a Mask

by marimeetsmischief



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Action, Adrinette, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Dark, Depression/Anxiety, Double Life, F/F, F/M, Graphic Violence, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, LadyNoir - Freeform, Loss, M/M, Marichat, Miraculous Ladybug Love Square, Original Miraculous Lore, Recovery, Rehabilitation, Romance as a side plot, Season 3 Spoilers, Slow Burn, family bonds, ladrien, love and support
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-08 09:54:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 28,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474085
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marimeetsmischief/pseuds/marimeetsmischief
Summary: Two years of peace. Two years of healing, and the City of Paris is taking leaps towards recovery. Their villain had been defeated, but when he was finally gone, their heroes disappeared alongside him. When the city is endangered more than ever before, by someone they've never seen and is equipped with powers they don't fully understand, can they still put their faith in Ladybug and Chat Noir?
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Plagg/Tikki (Miraculous Ladybug)
Comments: 18
Kudos: 93





	1. As It’s Always Been

**Author's Note:**

> This fic diverts from the canon timeline before the S3 Finale! This will have spoilers for much of S3, especially Chat Blanc! Marinette never became the guardian, she does not permanently ban Chloé, and it took them two more years to defeat Hawkmoth.

A tiny set of pink lips parted widely, a soft and sweet yawn escaping them. As she always was this early in the morning, Marinette Dupain-Cheng was exhausted. Even with years of filled up schedules and even a double life for a while, she had never quite adjusted to the lack of sleep. Now, even though she was twenty years old, she was still just as exhausted by it as she had always been. It was hard for her to find much energy anymore, or inspiration or creativity of any kind. It wasn’t exactly hard to pinpoint the moment those things had left her either. But, as much as she wished otherwise, there was nothing she could do about it anymore. 

She took a moment to stretch, yawning again before letting her arms fall at her sides, hitting her hand on a macaron display in the process. The little wire tower wobbled for a moment as she froze in place, praying for some kind of good luck to keep it from falling, but it was pointless. Her luck had left her two years ago, she knew that much. The tower shuddered one last time, and as it started to settle, one of the legs happened to shake right off the edge of the counter, toppling the whole thing over and covering Marinette in the pastel cookies. 

“Figures,” she muttered hollowly, dusting them off of her and sighing helplessly. It was a good thing that her and her parents had learned to be prepared for this kind of thing. She picked up the macarons carefully, and arranging them haphazardly with the tray of croissants she had overcooked slightly this morning when she had fallen asleep in the kitchen. Because of her frequent mishaps, they had decided to have a little section that was aptly named the “Marinette Special,” which was just a teasing way of saying pastries and cookies that were half off because of some accident or another. At least this way, the thought had been, they don’t completely lose out on money. And sure enough, people didn’t mind buying dented macarons or crunchy pastries since Tom Dupain’s recipes were still the best around. After she’d set those up on the discount tray, she disappeared into the back, grabbing a replacement tray of macarons to arrange on the wire tower. 

Coming back into earshot of the front door, she head the little bell jingle and whispers of the tiniest voice leaking into the kitchen. Practically throwing down the tray, Marinette dashed out of the kitchen, looking around wildly for the source of the voice, trying desperately to spot what she was so sure had to be the little red kwami. When her eyes landed on a little girl in the arms of her mother, she tried her best not to be surprised. After all this time, she wasn’t sure what she expected. 

—-

Two Years Before

“Master, please, you can’t,” Marinette pleaded tearily, holding the red kwami to her chest and slowly backing away from the Guardian she had trusted so wholeheartedly. 

“Marinette, I would not ask for this if I was unsure. The powers of the Miraculous will be needed elsewhere, and I cannot make another mistake with them.” Wang Fu’s words were solemn, the whole speech dripping with sadness at the heartbreak he had to inflict on a girl he cared deeply for. Marinette and Tikki were both in tears, not sure how they could ever say goodbye to each other. Fu had already collected the black cat Miraculous, having hoped it would be the easier of the two, but Plagg had put up much more of a fight than he ever had before. After having to fight through that interaction, the poor old man was tired, and thoroughly broken. 

“Oh Marinette, I’ll never be gone from you,” Tikki said softly, pain in her voice as she floated up, kissing the tip of her chosen’s nose. “You’ll always be my Ladybug, Marinette. And we’ll be together again soon, I just know it,” she added, trying to show some kind of smile and bravery. Marinette could do nothing but sob once more and wipe her eyes, nodding. With shaking hands, she slowly took the familiar earrings off, holding them out to Master Fu and dropping them into his hands. The sudden coldness on her earlobes broke her heart more than she thought it would. She closed her eyes and turned away, crying softly as the door opened and shut with a very final sounding click. “Tikki, I renounce you,” she mumbled, barely audible at all. Her shoulders heaved with body racking sobs, feeling the warmth of her friend leave her once and for all, like all the light in the world had gone out.

——

Marinette quickly shook her head, forcing the memory from her mind and trying to focus on the customer in the bakery, taking a moment to comprehend that both the girl and her mother were frantically pointing at something behind her. As soon as she was alerted to it, her nose recognized the smell of smoke and she whirled around, rushing into the kitchen.

“NO! No no no no no,” she muttered angrily, flinging the door of the oven open, and grabbing for the tray. In her rush, she had forgotten that her hands were bare, and screeched rather loudly. By now, the smell of smoke and the scream of pain had alerted her father to some kind of crisis and his heavy steps sounded on the stairs, rushing down them to find the problem. When he got down the stairs, he was greeted with the sight of his poor daughter on her knees in tears, clutching her hand carefully with a tray of blackened cookies next to her. Upon seeing him, she cried even more, trying to make her way onto her feet without using her hand somehow. 

“Papa, I’m so sorry, I spaced out and-“ he quickly cut Marinette off and pulled her into a crushing hug, petting her head carefully. 

“Shush now, sweetheart, you hurt yourself, please don’t apologize.” Tom knew his daughter had always been clumsy and a little odd, maybe even rough around the edges, but she had been so much worse in the last year especially. She had never burned her hand this badly before, and it broke his heart to see her apologizing to him when she was the one hurting. He pulled away, helping to lift her onto her feet and finally met her teary eyes with the softest look only a concerned parent could hold. “It’s okay, Marinette, I’ll handle this, and you go to the hospital to get that hand checked out, okay?” 

At first she wanted to protest, trying to muster the strength to play off the burns and convince him that she was okay. When she looked into his eyes, she knew that there was no fooling him though, and just nodded dejectedly. She started up the stairs, tearing up again as she climbed them. She made a beeline for her room, ignoring her mother’s attempts to talk to her, concern laden in her voice. She grabbed her purse, and pulled her apron off, forgetting for a moment about her burned hand only to cry out when she used it to grasp the rough fabric. She descended from her room, stopping at the top of the stairs into the bakery when she heard her parents talking. 

“Tom, I can’t stand seeing her like this,” Sabine sighed tiredly. Even though she couldn’t see her mother’s face, Marinette could hear the tears starting to creep into her voice. 

“I know, honey, but I don’t know what else to do. You know as well as I do, nothing we’ve tried has worked. She doesn’t talk to anyone, she doesn’t go out, she doesn’t even sketch designs anymore!” Her father’s voice was shaky, pain present in every wobbly syllable. Tom Dupain was always the steady one, the rock in the great storm of life. At least, that’s what Marinette thought of him. But because of her, he was hurting, she thought. 

“Well maybe we could give her a break from the bakery. Or even get her out of Paris, send her on a trip with her grandmother? We have to try something.” 

Deep down, she knew that it was only said out of worry. She knew her parents loved her dearly, even with all the accidents and vacantness she had held lately. But when she heard those words, the only thing her brain could process was that they wanted to get rid of her. And in her mind, they were right to. She had fallen apart after everything that had happened, and she honestly wasn’t sure how she would ever be okay again. 

Somehow, Marinette held back the overflow of tears that was gathering at her eyes, keeping the floodgates up long enough to run down the rest of the stairs, out the door and halfway down the block before letting it all out.

——

To be entirely honest, Marinette had no idea how she had managed to make it all the way to the hospital. That had to be some kind of miracle, of course, given her track record. She had been in a daze for the whole walk there, vaguely knowing where she was going, but not much more than that. Thankfully, she had found the hospital somehow and headed for the first set of doors she saw, too many tears in her eyes to bother reading the signs around her. The automatic doors whooshed open in front of her, and she stepped into the chilly air and hugged her shoulders tightly. She hadn’t anticipated this level of air conditioning, dressed in just a pink tee shirt and black skinny jeans. Marinette awkwardly approached the front desk, finally realizing that she probably wasn’t at the right entrance, but not sure how else to get there but ask directions. 

“Uh, erm, hi, I’m looking for the emergency room?” she asked, her voice hesitant and soft as she stumbled over the words. At first, the woman at the front desk seemed annoyed, slapping her magazine closed with a loud sigh. However, as soon as she noticed Marinette’s tear stained face and red eyes, her gaze softened and she took pity on the girl. 

“It’s a little confusing to find it from here, give me a second and I’ll call someone to escort you, alright?” she said, trying to be as comforting as possible with her tone. Then, she picked up a walkie talkie off of her desk and pushed the call button and began to talk into it. Marinette at this point had nodded and looked around her, trying to find some sign of where she was. The inside of the room was stark white and bare, bright fluorescent lights that could have given her a headache. She’d always hated the way hospitals were cold like this, even though she knew it had to do with cleanliness. Finally, someone showed up and the nurse at the desk motioned for her to follow him out the door she had come in, which she quickly did. Or rather, tried to, almost instantly crashing into a tall man dressed in designer looking clothing. She fell to the floor, toppling backwards slightly with a squeak. Quickly shaking her head to clear the confusion and disoriented feeling from her limbs, she scrambled up, muttering high pitched apologies as she rushed to follow the orderly. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the person she had knocked into, confusing herself when she thought that they looked a little familiar. As she hurried out the door, she didn’t notice the blonde head of hair shake in disbelief, or the bright green eyes widen in recognition. She definitely didn’t hear the person softly mumble her name as they watched her speedwalk to keep up with the orderly’s longer legs. What she did notice, however, was the lettering over the doorway that read “St. Bernadette Psychiatric Institute.” 

What a place to mix up with the ER, she thought to herself, shaking her head. I’m lucky she didn’t see my excessive crying as a danger and have me committed. She shuddered at that thought, not even remembering that the man she had run into had seemed familiar in the slightest. Noticing that her guide was already a few paces ahead of her, she tried to stop thinking entirely, picking up her pace in order to not lose sight of him. By the time they had reached the emergency wing, she was thoroughly winded, and thanked him profusely between panted breaths before heading for the correct set of doors. 

——

After about four hours of waiting and talking to doctors and nurses, Marinette left the hospital with her hand carefully bandaged, a prescription for a topical salve that would help it heal, and instructions to change the bandage every day. With all the time she had had to think and figure her mind out, she felt a little soothed, though not enough to be completely relaxed. She had no idea how she was going to talk to her parents after she had left the house in such an emotional state. It was even harder to think about telling them that she had heard their conversation about sending her away. She wasn’t sure why she was so opposed to the idea, but something in her was screaming at her that she had to remain in Paris. It wasn’t like she really had anything there for her at the moment. She wasn’t taking any classes, didn’t have any internships, and she couldn’t even remember the last time she had even spoken to someone that could be considered a friend. In fact, if she really thought about it, she hadn’t really spoken to anyone after she had taken her final exams at Françoise-Dupont. If she was in a better state of mind, maybe that would bother her more, but as it was, she wasn’t really sure how she felt about it. 

Losing Tikki when she hadn’t expected it had taken a lot away from her. It was almost as if all the progress she had made while being Ladybug was heavily reverted, and she ended up even worse than she had been when she took on the mask. Her creativity had plummeted, her clumsiness skyrocketed, and even her luck got worse. Of course, if she had lived a normal life, it would have just been labeled as depression. But she wasn’t exactly normal, and she knew that. There were times when she almost wished she had never even become Ladybug in the first place. After growing so used to having Tikki and her powers, Marinette had grown to feel kind of useless without them. In her mind, her classmates had probably been relieved when she drifted away from them and eventually just vanished from their lives. It wasn’t like she could remember how much they had tried to stop her anyways, the last months of her time in school flashing by like a meaningless blur. But that was two years ago. Was two years a long time to go without really having friends? Did it really matter, in the long run? After all, no one had made any recent attempts to reach out, so she had to be right about her absence being some kind of relief… right? 

“Oh, it doesn’t matter,” she groaned out loud, picking up her pace as she walked back to the bakery. She wanted to get back already and have this awful conversation with her parents, not even caring what the outcome would be anymore. Even if her gut told her to remain in Paris, she didn’t see why she had to listen to it, especially since she had reminded herself once again that she had nothing to keep her here. Maybe if she went with her grandma, she could find another source of inspiration, or anything at all to keep her going, and get her off of the train towards lifelessness she was stuck on. It was a hard decision to think about, the idea of leaving the place she had been raised, even if only for a month or two. By the time she had made it to the bakery, she was thoroughly confused and conflicted, having twisted her mind up with every pro, con, and what if scenario. 

“Mama, Papa, I’m back!” she called out to the empty bakery, looking around. Apparently they had closed for the lunch break already, so she popped upstairs and found them sitting at the table, a sandwich already prepared for her. That little gesture put a smile on her face and she greeted them both with love, kissing their cheeks softly. 

“Marinette, sweetie, how’s your hand?” her mom asked her immediately, standing up to check on her and make sure she was okay. She just shrugged it off, chuckling in a way that was a little less forced than normal. 

“It’s alright, they said the burn was only a second degree, so there might be some blistering but I’ll be okay. I picked up the prescription salve they gave me on the way back.” She sat down at the table with them, trying to figure out how to eat the sandwich with only one hand before her mother stopped her, laughing and shaking her head. 

“Here, here, let me cut it into small pieces,” she said, standing up and grabbing a knife, cutting the sandwich into eighths that were small enough to be picked up with only one of Marinette’s dainty hands. “Do you want anything to drink, sweetheart?” she asked after she had cut the lunch up, moving to the fridge. “There’s still some lemonade left from yesterday’s lunch, if you want that.”

“That’s perfect, mama, thank you,” she said softly, becoming increasingly worried by the careful way they were treating her. They had always been fairly gentle with her, but this porcelain doll treatment was even more worrying than normal. She hurried to swallow the bite of sandwich she had taken, wanting to talk before they got the chance to say whatever they were clearly worried about bringing up. “Listen, I know I haven’t… been exactly myself for a while, and I’m sorry it’s worried you so much. With everything that happened at the end of my last year of school, I think I got a little confused with what I wanted and who I wanted to be.” 

She paused, pursing her lips and wrinkling her eyebrows in thought as she searched for the right words. It was hard to understand what she wanted to say, even for her. Did she want to stay or go? Should she even bring up that she had heard their conversation? Would that just cause more problems, or should she just approach it head on like she always had so much trouble doing. So many years of carefully crafted and elaborate plans, sometimes she thought she had forgotten how to just be direct, even with herself or her parents. 

“Please don’t send me away,” she finally admitted abruptly, looking down at her plate as she willed the tears not to fall. She gritted her teeth and steeled herself, trying to appear to be steady, even just for her parents' sake. “I understand why you think that might be a good idea for me, but here, with you, is where I belong.” 

Her parents were definitely shocked by her sudden eloquence. It definitely wasn’t what they expected from their daughter. They couldn’t help but be proud of her for it though, and nodded, glad that she had managed to tell them how she felt about it all. None of them could really phrase any of the intense emotions in the room, so they settled for exchanging a set of loving and understanding looks before settling in to finish the lunch in silence. Thankfully, it wasn’t awkward, and the silence didn’t last the whole way through. After about ten minutes of quiet chewing, Marinette dropped an entire slice of tomato on her lap, groaning exasperatedly before meeting her parents eyes, all three of them bursting into cheerful and amicable laughter. A little bit of tried and true Marinette brand clumsiness had been exactly what they needed to get back to normal, and the meal continued with a series of teasing bread related puns from her father and amused giggling from her mother, punctuated by the odd groan or grumble from Marinette. This was who they had always been, after all. For all their messes and worries, the Dupain-Cheng were possibly the least dysfunctional family in Paris, and that would never change.


	2. Familiar Faces

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the false post earlier! It was 4am and I meant to hit save instead of post and ... you get the drift ANYWAYS -> Another chapter! This one took a little coaxing out, but I hope you like the blend of fluff and angst. I try to meet 3000-5000 words per chapter and this one took a few too many hours to get there. I’ve decided I’d like to update either daily or every other day, at least for as long as I have the time and inspiration. By the end of November, I actually hope to have some art to add with this, just some sketches of the characters and how they look now, and other stuff in the coming chapters! 
> 
> Thanks for reading and please enjoy chapter two! <3

Adrien Agreste was far more confused than he had been in… well, possibly his entire life. “Marinette?” he mumbled incredulously at the girl who had just stumbled out of the doors past him, babbling apologies in the most comfortingly familiar way. Did she recognize him? She had always seemed to lose her words around him before, but she hadn’t stopped to talk or anything of the sort. Maybe she was just busy. Or maybe she hadn’t recognized him at all, and he was overthinking this because it was the first time he had run into anyone from his classes in the entire two years since the whole debacle with his father and he was probably just nervous and honestly now he wasn’t entirely sure that WAS Marinette but what if it was and she was going to go tell Alya everything and he would-

“Mr. Agreste! Are you all right?” Adrien turned his head sharply, looking at the source of the voice, the nurse behind the desk. He had apparently spaced out much more than he had meant to. 

“I’m sorry, Adele, I got lost in thought for a second.” She just sighed softly and nodded, holding out a little plastic badge with his name and picture on it. He was glad that Adele was the one working today and not the other nurse, who was much more nosey about him and his business. Even after two years of staying out of the spotlight, a famous name was still apparently enough to get an annoying amount of fawning and attention, which he hadn’t had much patience for as of late if he was honest. It was never anything personal, and as much as it wasn’t at all like the man he had always tried to be, he couldn’t help it anymore. He was allowed to be annoyed by it, and he knew that, but it still lurked in the back of his mind guiltily. The more time passed though, the less and less he worried about it, and the easier it became for him to be cold and dismissive, and he didn’t know if that was good or bad at this point. 

He made his way up to the desk, taking the badge from her hand and giving her a polite, but empty smile, and then heading down the hallway. He followed the usual routine, letting the guard check him over for anything that could be considered dangerous before buzzing him in, and then went to the next checkpoint, where a male nurse escorted him down the hall to the same room he went to, twice a week, where his father waited. 

The visits with Gabriel Agreste had somehow become a comfort to him. The older man had shown varying levels of madness that ranged from in depth conversations about the miraculous and his plans to deranged mumblings or even complete and catatonic silence. Even so, Adrien had pushed everyone else away, and was still desperate to salvage some piece of relationship with his father, as delusional as he knew that thinking was. 

But still, there were times when Gabriel became almost whole. When he connected with his son like he had when their family had still been complete. He would smile at him, give him advice about running the family company, or just reminisce, sharing stories about Emelie that Adrien himself couldn’t remember. Those little pieces were enough to give them both some happiness, some light in the dark where they thought there could be none. Nearly two years of regular visits like this had reforged a bond that had been destroyed long before Gabriel Agreste ever took on the title of Hawkmoth. For the first time in years, Adrien shared things with his father, stories about his day to day life, his trial and error in finding a suitable assistant. Maybe it was because they both were on equal ground now, because they both had no other options. But part of Adrien, only the deepest parts, knew that it was because he had begun to understand the man his father had become, and how he had gotten that way. 

It was easy to tell he was different, not that there was anyone around to notice. Life had changed for him though, and he had made the choice to change with it. Life, the universe, God, or whatever karmic force there was had seen fit to take… well, everything from him. First his mother, then his father’s betrayal, and as some kind of last suck joke, the one person he had thought he would always be able to count on was no longer an option. He felt stupid sometimes, knowing that in four years with her, he had never thought that someday it would all be gone. No more rooftop conversations or fighting side by side. Because honestly, the one he missed most of all was Ladybug. 

All their years of being a perfect team didn’t matter anymore, because she was just gone. When Master Fu had come to take his miraculous, he had been broken by it. He wanted to kick and scream and fight back. He wanted to resist it just as hard as Plagg did, and seeing the kwami respond like that did almost break him, but all he could do was nod. With who his father was, how could he blame Fu for it? He was just protecting Paris, after all. Of course, at the time he had thought it was just his miraculous that was being taken. When days and weeks turned into months and Ladybug had just disappeared into the wind, he put the pieces together. He would never know who she was, he would never get earn her love in the way he desperately wanted to. More than ever before, he felt so… alone. 

——

_Two Years Before_

_“Master Fu, I’m not leaving Adrien,” Plagg stated, desperation and a million more emotions than anyone was used to hearing from the black cat kwami. He was entirely set on it too, holding the same expression he did when he was determined to beg some camembert out of his chosen. For a little creature that rarely showed more emotion than hungry or annoyed, it was heart wrenching to see him clutching Adrien’s white collar and shaking his head, fear and denial bright in his green eyes. _

_What was even more surprising was that the other pair of green eyes in the room didn’t match that. While the kwami was frantic, Adrien was eerily still. And then, much to his little companion’s horror, he nodded, and slipped the ring off his finger. Even Fu himself looked shocked by that, and a little conflicted. Wang Fu knew he should have felt relieved that the boy — or rather a young man now — seemed to understand his plight, all he could feel was worry. Even so, he accepted the silver ring from his hand, both of them trying to look past Plagg darting between their eyes, begging both of them to reconsider. Fu shared a knowing look with Adrien, sighing softly as he looked at the ring, so willingly given away. _

_“It is not your fault Adrien. You never could have known.” He sighed again, placing a hand on Adrien’s shoulder and squeezing. Even if the feeling wasn’t echoed, he had grown to care for Marinette and Adrien as family. Four years of watching over them, training them, how could he not? Now, upon seeing the broken, hollowed out look in Adrien’s eyes, Fu knew that things had been irreparably damaged, but he also knew that he had been given a task, and he could not go against the rules again. Now that there was no super powered evil in Paris, the miraculous would be needed elsewhere. “The last thing you have to do is remove the power of the miraculous from yourself, simply say ‘Plagg, I renounce you’ and he’ll be drawn into the ring until a new owner opens the box.” _

_“Adrien, why are you doing this?” Plagg sputtered angrily, knocking himself against his chosen’s chest, trying to get him to acknowledge him. “Come back from whatever far-off fantasyland you’re hiding in and just stand up to the old man. C’mon, Adrien,” he yelled desperately, crashing into the blonde again. This time, Adrien caught him and held him in his hands, looking at him with those empty eyes. _

_“It’ll be okay. Promise,” he added, flashing an equally empty grin. At this point, Plagg knew there was no reaching him, so he buried his head in his chosen’s hand, the one he had loved the most, and had always been so afraid of losing. He never thought that his chosen would be giving him away. _

_“Why?” the kwami mumbled sadly, looking into his friend’s matching green irises to find some kind of answer. He never found one. _

_“Plagg, I renounce you.” _

——

Marinette couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this awake. Normally, she was dozing off all day long and generally dazed and confused, but now, at three in the morning, she was unbelievably, frustratingly wide awake. Grumbling to herself about too much sugar and a stressful day, she sat up and slipped out of her bed. She grabbed a pink knit sweater from her closet to keep her warm in the chilled November air and then climbed the ladder to her balcony, something she didn’t do all that often anymore. 

Going up there and looking at the stars, it all reminded her of someone she’d much rather forget, a certain leather-clad jokester that she had worked hard to brush from her mind. She settled against the railing, her eyes scanning the Parisian skyline, hoping against all hope that her Chat would come vaulting over the rooftops, puns planned out in advance about their ‘paw-ful separation’ and more than anything, his warmth. Even with her sweater on, she was a little cold, but she knew that it wasn’t a chill coming from being outside. 

But he was gone, and so was Ladybug. They were both gone, disappeared without a trace as far as most of Paris knew. Some people thought they had gone back to normal civilian lives, while others had heard rumors of a black cat and ladybug superhero pair in Rome, fighting against an unknown villain. That was her life now though. She was just one of the masses, another Parisian, left mystified by the disappearance of the city’s most beloved heroes. 

As much as she missed her Ladybug days, she was still glad that there was no reason for her to need her powers. Paris was safer now, and she couldn’t wish for another supervillain to come back and put everyone in danger just because she missed the boy she whose love she had denied for four years. It was moments like these that she regretted that the most. 

If only she had let him in, or just let herself feel something, maybe they still wouldn’t be heroes anymore, but at least they would have had each other. Of course, right after she let herself think that, she reminded herself why she had never done any of that in the first place. She was the responsible one, the planner, the one who thought their moves through. She had people she needed to keep safe, and he had to have his own too, and by keeping their secrets, they had done that, hadn’t they? But if that was the right thing, god, why did it hurt so much now? Why did she have to feel so alone? 

A sudden wet feeling on her hand waking her from her thoughts, Marinette brought her hand to her face to see that it was lined yet again with tear streaks. 

“Oh, why can’t I stop crying?” she mumbled sadly, wiping her tears on the sleeves of her sweater, careful to use only the back of her burned hand. Unable to help herself, she looked up at the sky and mumbled a last solemn plea. “I miss you... so much it hurts.” 

——

Down on the street, a man confirmed his suspicions, a lingering ghost of a smile on his face as he watched the raven haired girl lean over her railing in an achingly familiar way. It had been Marinette he had seen at the hospital that morning, he was sure of it now. Her hair was longer and let down from her trademark pigtails, she was a little taller, but she seemed just as unsure of herself as ever. It was when he noticed her wiping her face angrily that the smile left. Then she said something out loud, still crying, and his heart ached again. He would have given anything in that moment to have his powers back. To use his cat-like hearing to listen to the words coming from her, or even better, be able to climb right up and pull her into his arms. He would always love Ladybug, but the way that Marinette trusted Chat Noir was something Adrien wished he’d been able to have as his civilian self. 

From the moment he had found himself on her balcony years ago after being stood up by his lady, they had been bonded. If he was honest, if Ladybug hadn’t been there, he would have fallen in love with Marinette all too easily. After all, she was the sweetest person he knew, both as Adrien and Chat. He smiled, fondly remembering a little beaded charm that was in a drawer in his desk. He didn’t carry it around anymore, since he had tried to push his past life from his mind, but he didn’t have the heart to throw it away either, so he tucked it safely away in his desk at home. Idly, he wondered if she still had the one he had made her. Part of him dismissed the thought, doubting that anyone would want a piece of Hawkmoth’s son lying around. Even the sweetest girl in Paris couldn’t be that forgiving. After all, her father and two of her grandparents had gotten akumatized, along with pretty much every single one of her friends. In fact, she had been the victim of too many akumas for him to count, even if she was never fully akumatized herself. That was a marvel, too. How she had been so pure and positive as to avoid being akumatized — well, aside from that close call when she was expelled — was a total mystery. Of course, that was just Marinette being… Marinette, he supposed. She had just always wanted the best for those she loved, which was one of oh-so-many things he admired about her. 

He sighed, shaking his head at himself and the train his thoughts had taken. He only let himself daydream for a moment more, imagining catching her attention right then and there. Maybe he could convince her to come down, to talk to him about what had made her cry. Maybe he could even make up for all the years he had looked past her in favor of a masked heroine that was always out of reach. Maybe he could love her, and she could heal the hole in his chest left by all he had lost. Maybe. 

But he had made choices in his life, dangerous ones that he knew he couldn’t drag her into, ever. So instead, Adrien Agreste stood silently and watched her until she went inside. Then, he turned around and walked back around the corner, got into his car, and drove away. 

——

The next morning was especially rough on Marinette, especially since she had stayed up until nearly five in the morning crying on her balcony. She didn’t know why it had been so hard to hold back the tears last night, but it had felt like she was all at once so close and yet farther than ever from everything she needed. As she started waking up, she grew more embarrassed by the second, very sure that half of Paris had probably heard her pained sobbing last night, even though she was actually a very silent crier. She was no match for that anxiety though, and crept downstairs for a late breakfast at a quarter past ten, praying that her parents wouldn’t say anything to her about it. 

Much to her pleasure, they didn’t mention it, even though she couldn’t shake the fear that they would. Instead, they just offered her smiles and kisses on the cheek, and a joke or two about her late start. She stole a strawberry jam filled croissant from the counter with a smile at her parents and then headed for the front door. 

“I think I’m going to walk to the park, if that’s okay?” she asked hesitantly, to which her parents eagerly nodded, just happy to see her willingly leaving the house. She blew a kiss at them and then stepped outside, biting into her breakfast with a soft sigh at the still-warm pastry. She didn’t think her baking was bad at all, but her papa’s was still much, much better, she mused, a tiny and fleeting grin appearing on her lips. Wrapped up in her little breakfast, she failed to notice the approaching figure on the sidewalk, though she didn’t crash into them this time. No, this time, the person suddenly gasped loud enough to make her pause, and a definitively feminine sounding voice mumbled her name in surprise. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng? Is that you?”

Marinette looked up, clearly startled by someone recognizing her. However, as soon as she met the woman’s familiar hazel eyes, both of their gazes softened immeasurably. All Marinette could do was nod and throw herself at the woman. Maybe she was still over-emotional from last night, and maybe she was being stupid, but Alya was standing in front of her for the first time in nearly two years and all she could think about was hugging her. 

Alya was clearly shocked, turning stone still for a moment as she comprehended the moment before breaking into the widest smile and wrapping her arms around her in return. 

It felt like they stood there forever, just wrapped up in a set of arms that they had both missed so much, all tears and sniffles and quiet laughter. When they finally pulled away, both of them had teary eyes and wide grins, looking each other up and down. 

“You look so different-” they both said in unison, cracking into laughter and shaking their heads. 

“You go first,” said Marinette softly, her cheeks reddening in their typical fashion as she stepped back a little, rocking on her heels. She couldn’t help but be nervous, especially now that she realized she had thrown herself at Alya without even bothering to consider her feelings. The girl was probably mad at her for just blinking out of existence after school ended, and even before then Marinette knew she had been vacant. The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, but Alya immediately recognized her spiraling expression and waved her hand in front of Marinette’s face to snap her out of it. 

“Girl, don’t even start thinking as much as you just were, there’s no reason for it.” Alya shrugged gently, taking a deep breath and shaking her head. “It’s nice to see some things haven’t changed, although other things should have changed by now.” 

“You’re not mad at me?” Marinette sputtered out, disbelieving that the girl in front of her wasn’t harboring some secret anger. 

“I don’t hold grudges Mari, you should know that, girl,” she said teasingly with a little smile on her lips. She reached forward, picking up a chunk of her former friend’s hair. “Gosh, it’s so long now. And what happened to the pigtails?” 

“Oh, I uh, I dunno, I guess I haven’t really done anything with my hair in a while.” Marinette flushed and shrugged slightly, looking down at the hand in her hair. It had gotten considerably longer, since she hadn’t really paid much attention to it. “But look at you!” she deflected skillfully, gesturing at the well-groomed and professional looking version of the girl she had been so used to. 

It was true that Alya definitely looked very different. The most noticeable change was that her hair had been cut much shorter, now landing at about chin level with a pretty face-framing angle to it and the same curls she had always had. Her usual sneakers and jeans were replaced by a pair of nude heels and a warm brown pair of wide legged dress pants with a stylish tie at the waist as well as a matching blazer and a cream colored fitted undershirt. The entire ensemble was wrinkle and hair free, and she looked so remarkably well put together and… adult. 

Marinette looked down at her own outfit, the same black skirt, white shirt and pink knit sweater that she wore nearly every day, and couldn’t help but feel a little sad. How had she gone from someone so passionate about fashion to someone who still looked like they were in school? Alya saw her eyes, shaking her head and doing a little twirl in her outfit to show it off. 

“It looks good, right? Of course, you should’ve been the one designing my outfits, but someone,” she said with a pointed look, “decided to change their number and drop off the face of the Earth!” Alya laughed, and Marinette could have sworn the sound was almost musical sounding to her deprived ears. It had been so long since she had had a real, friendly conversation like this, and the feeling almost made her heart hurt. 

“So listen, I have about an hour until I have to get to my internship at the radio station.” Alya paused, wiggling her eyebrows excitedly before continuing. “How about we go for coffee and you can either fill me in on what you’ve been up to or you can listen to me brag for an hour?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for taking the time to read! Leave a comment with anything you’d like and I’ll try to reply. Feel free to ask questions, share thoughts and ideas, or just make conversation. 
> 
> See you next chapter! 
> 
> \- Mari <3


	3. Extra, Extra Sugar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! Enjoy, loves. <3

Alya watched with an amused expression as Marinette dumped a fourth spoonful of sugar into her coffee. The faces she made after sipping the beverage had been the most entertaining thing Alya had seen all day. After a fifth spoonful, Marinette tasted it one last time and finally sighed, nodding and taking a sip of it. It had taken several taste tests, but apparently she was satisfied with it now. 

“Want some coffee with your sugar, girl?” she teased, shaking her head as she sipped from her own cup, with just a bit of cream added to it. Marinette blushed from head to toe and sputtered, nearly choking on the sip of coffee she had just taken. 

“Well. I-... uh… di-didn’t expect it to be that strong,” she muttered sadly, shaking her head at herself. In truth, she didn’t even really like coffee at all, but the barista at the counter had been out of the kind of tea she liked, so she had just ordered a plain coffee like Alya, though she regretted it dearly now. Marinette took a deep breath and shook her head to quiet her thoughts once again. “But ignore my weirdness, you said you had bragging to do.” 

“That I did, and you’ll get it after you tell me where you’ve been!” Alya grinned cheekily at her friend, leaning forward onto her elbows to show she wanted to pay attention. 

“Oh! Uh, you know, nowhere special. The bakery mainly,” she said with a little shrug, blanching slightly as Alya started to shake her head. 

“Oh so you didn’t go to some far off country to study fashion? That’s what everyone else thought,” she said with a shrug, sighing softly. “But you were right here in Paris and you didn’t reach out to any of us, huh? I’m hurt, girl,” Alya said quietly, a subtle look of disappointment sneaking across her face before she forced another grin. 

“In that case, you get the full brunt of my internship bragging,” she said, looking over at Marinette with a mischievous smile that still held a hint of sadness in it, though it was obvious she was trying to put on a good face about it. Even if Marinette seemed okay at the moment, Alya knew all too well that she’d always had a habit of trying to keep things down, and there was sure to be a similar issue here. She also knew that in most cases it was just better not to press the matter anyways. Instead she braced herself for a good forty-five minutes of talking, and tried to take comfort in the fact that Marinette really did look interested in what she had to say as she started to explain what the past two years had held.

“Okay, so, I don’t know if you remember from the end of our last year, but I got into the ESJ and I’ve been taking my journalism classes there. Plus, because of the Ladyblog,” she said with a wide grin. She wasn’t sure if she imagined it or not, but did Marinette wince when she brought up the blog? “I got an internship with a radio station out of the Montparnasse Tower pretty much right away.” 

“Oh Alya, that’s so cool! Everyone always knew you were going to get attention from that, it was like Paris’s most visited website for a while there.” Marinette grinned brightly at her, already unbelievably proud of all she had accomplished in just two years. 

“Yeah, well at first it was just like office work and stuff like that, but they actually just approved my idea for a new segment and they’re letting me take the lead on it and everything!” Alya beamed in a way that made Marinette’s heart feel much lighter than it had in a while, seeing how happy she was with her life. A part of Marinette might have been a little jealous, but she was quick to brush it aside in favor of continuing to question her friend. 

“What’s the segment about? And when is it, so I can listen!” Marinette really was excited about getting to see what her friend was passionate about in her life, even though she had chosen to miss out on this part of their lives, and especially because she regretted that choice so much now. 

All Alya did was give her a wink and a smile, looking like she had a particularly evil plan in mind, the look in her eyes just slightly terrifying Marinette. 

“Well, the show has its first slot tomorrow, why don’t you come find out?” 

——

By the time the two of them stopped talking, Alya looked down at her phone and realized she had five minutes to sprint to the station and mumbled a quick apology, writing her phone number on a napkin and giving Marinette a quick hug and a smile before darting out the door and down the street. For a moment, Marinette just sat there, leaned back in her chair, looking at the neat lettering on the napkin and the way Alya had signed her name with a little heart. 

She couldn’t quite put a name to how she was feeling, though the closest she could figure it was a mixture of wistfulness and peace. It was harder than ever to understand why she had pushed everyone away for so long. The thought finally occurred to her that if she had leaned into the people in her life instead of away, she might have been more than a shell of herself for the past two years. When she finally stood up, she had firmly resolved herself to making an effort to be better, to just try to connect with the people she loved once more. It was the first time she had felt okay since feeling Tikki’s light leave her. 

Stepping out of the café, she smiled up at the sunlight, taking a moment to bask in the warmth before turning to walk toward the bakery and almost immediately stopping in her tracks. 

“Hello, Marinette.” 

“M-Ma- Master Fu?” Marinette shook her head, rubbing her eyes frantically as she tried to understand the sight in front of her. She pinched herself, turned around in circles, tried everything she could to disprove what her eyes were clearly telling her because there was no way that it could be true. But there he was, the old man looking just as he always had, red Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and most unbelievably, right in front of her. “Are you here? Am I dreaming? Or hallucinating?” she asked suspiciously, reaching a hand out and gently poking his shoulder. It was beyond hard to believe — after months and years of desperately wishing that he would come back — that he had just shown up like nothing had ever changed. 

“We have much to discuss, preferably somewhere less… open,” he said with a knowing and pointed look, gesturing to a waiting car. As much as Marinette knew she needed to be wary of some kind of trick, it all seemed genuine enough, and if he was here, it had to be something vitally important. Of course, it was even harder to be skeptical when she could clearly see the Miracle Box itself as soon as he opened the back door of the car. Without any further prodding, she eagerly slid into the vehicle before she could give it a second thought, staring at the box next to her and resisting the urge to open it. 

——

Adrien fastened the last button on his shirt, frowning as he looked at the white button up in the mirror. Shaking his head, he pulled on a emerald-green knit v-necked sweater over it, and then a black overcoat that reached the knees of his black slacks. He was headed to yet another business meeting that he dreaded, another hour of sitting in a chair and politely nodding as the board of the Agreste company made decisions that he didn’t care about in the slightest. At least the board was aware of this and didn’t try to involve him as much anymore, but there were still formalities like this meeting in order to make deals and new policies. 

With his father’s help, he’d managed to at least select a buffer employee to keep him updated and make sure the company was being run correctly. Thankfully, his father had already planned quite a few seasons out in advance, and had some designs he had put on the backburner to use in between collections. Adrien wasn’t sure what he would do when those ran out, but maybe by then his father would have been treated well enough to work, even from inside his cell. As close to being on acceptable terms with him as he was, Adrien still had no plans of letting him out of that hospital any time soon. His father was not at all well, and he wasn’t sure if he would be again. All the therapy in the world would never fix the damage done by darkening a miraculous and using it for years, mixing all of that darkness with his own spirit. 

That wasn't just a theory either, Fu himself had told him exactly the cost that his father would pay for tampering with things in the way he had. That had been before he asked for Plagg to be returned, of course, when Adrien had gone to him seeking help on how his father should be handled. Rather than send him to some prison, he had advised keeping him close, and looked after. He hadn’t exactly been evil, so much as deeply troubled, and his emotions had just fueled the darkness he had sown in the butterfly miraculous until it began to drive both the man and the kwami insane. 

He wasn’t sure if Fu had been able to restore Nooroo either. He knew he had been having issues with it, especially since the miraculous itself had been shattered in the final battle. The last time he had spoken to Fu about it, he had theorized that something had affected the kwami itself, and it was best that it was left to rest and recover in the Miracle Box with the rest of its kind, and maybe in the distant future, try to remake the miraculous. 

It had been harder than normal to keep his mind off of thoughts of his father and the miraculous in the past few weeks. His instincts seemed to have decided that he needed to keep it in his mind, and though he knew why, it was still irritating and even a little painful to have on his mind constantly. And, it was unfortunately all too easy to completely ignore the members of the Agreste company board in favor of going over the details of his double life over and over again. 

——

_Two Years Before_

_His favorite spotted heroine flashed a beaming smile at him as she leapt off the roof they had ended their patrol on, swinging down the street with practiced ease. Chat Noir’s green eyes followed her until she was too small to be visible in the dark night, and with his cat eyes, that was quite a distance. He wondered briefly if she could feel the way his eyes lingered on her, in the same way he felt hers. After he had his fill of being more than a little consumed by that thought, he stood up, using his staff to vault him from roof to roof. He stopped at a rather indistinct building, some sort of warehouse that wasn’t abandoned but at least wasn’t used at this hour of night. It was nearly four in the morning, he noticed, smiling at the memory of how long he had gotten to be around his lady tonight. There hadn’t been an akuma in a little over a week, which meant that one was due soon enough, so they had upped their patrolling hours, though they hadn’t meant to be out this late. _

_Even so, the boy behind the mask hadn’t been quite ready to go home yet, instead heading towards a hide out he had been using for a while now, one of four scattered around the city. It had a few books, a blanket or two, though he made sure it was hidden in an alcove behind the warehouse factory chimneys. Sighing as he stretched out on top of one of the blankets, he smiled slightly, and then released his transformation, laughing at the groan of his kwami. _

_“Auuuggghh, Adrien, what did I say about keeping me in that ring so long,” he muttered, lazily floating around in circles about his chosen. Without a word, the blonde boy offered the black cat kwami a rather large piece of his favorite cheese, and he quieted, quickly devouring the slice. “Oh, whatever, not like you ever listen.” _

_Adrien laughed and rolled his eyes. He and Plagg both knew that there had been moments where he had been transformed for way longer, but Plagg was only annoyed because he had just done it this time so that he could “make googly eyes” at Ladybug, as the cynical kwami would have said. _

_“Hey, Plagg, I’ve got a question,” he mused softly, turning his head slightly to look at the hovering creature. _

_“Oh yeah? Maybe I’ve got an answer, so spit it out, kid,” the kwami replied, sarcastic and bored as ever. Honestly, the only thing he had ever seen Plagg actually interested in had been, well, cheese. _

_“What happens after we defeat Hawkmoth?” Adrien asked, curiosity plain in his voice. _

_“What?” Plagg replied, a little startled. _

_Shaking his head, Adrien began to repeat his question. “What happens-”_

_“I heard your question, geez,” Plagg quickly said, cutting him off. “What are you asking for?” _

_“Well, lately, it feels like LB and I are getting closer than ever. I think that we’re going to walk into that final battle soon, and I guess I just got to thinking about what would happen after we walked out of it.” _

_Plagg sighed, obviously a little perturbed by the question, but trying to figure out how to answer anyways. He looked his chosen up and down, shaking his head before floating down to rest on the chest of the boy. _

_“Well, first of all, it’s IF you walk out of that fight. In case you’ve forgotten, Chat Noirs aren’t traditionally very lucky,” he muttered darkly, yawning and stretching out as he got comfortable on Adrien’s chest. Adrien, in reply to his pessimistic outlook, had just shaken his head. He knew Plagg would always expect somewhat of the worst, but Adrien? He trusted his Ladybug, including with his life, and she had shown him before that she was dedicated to getting them both out of every encounter as unharmed as possible. _

_“Some of the past Chat Noirs have never even made it to their final battle,” he added with a melancholic tone. It was rare for Plagg to talk about his other chosen, so Adrien made sure to stay quiet to keep him talking. “And when they have, a very small number of them walked out of those fights without being impossibly damaged. We don’t exactly have a good track record to look at.” The kwami sighed again, trying to find a better answer to give the kid. _

_“But, a very, very small number have. If I felt like thinking about it, I could give you an exact number, but let’s just say for now that it’s less than 5 in all of my existence.” Adrien knew those weren’t exactly good odds, but he was determined to believe that he and his Lady would be different. Even Plagg himself had said before that the two of them were possibly the best team out of all of the ones there had been. They were hyper aware of each other in a fight, and years of working together had left them able to understand each other’s slightest signal. They anticipated each other's moves, compensated for weaknesses, and just in general had very few issues. Plus, Adrien was pretty sure that Ladybug had seemed more susceptible to Chat Noir’s advances than usual. She hadn’t been annoyed with him, and he couldn’t help but feel like things had been perfect. However, part of him was also worried by it. In the past, just when he felt like things were going incredibly right, Hawkmoth had sent a stronger than usual akuma, or enacted some complicated plan with Mayura that put everything at risk again. To tell the truth, that was part of why he felt like the final fight was coming soon. He couldn’t remember a time when they had been this strong before — the last akuma they had fought had been a brand new one but it had still only taken them one short confrontation to end things without any issues. He was sure that had frustrated their enemy a good deal. But still, he had faith in them, both of them. _

_“It’ll be alright, Plagg. I can feel it. I trust Ladybug anyways, and she trusts me. We can do anything together.” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little shorter than usual because I wanted to pack the good stuff into the next chapter (and leave you hanging on a cliff) 
> 
> The moment we were all waiting for has come! What does Fu want? I wonder. 
> 
> Plus, some good old Alya & Marinette Fluff, yes please. And a very cute but dramatically ironic Adrien and Plagg flashback. 
> 
> Let me know what you thought or your theories about why Fu is back! 
> 
> \- Mari <3


	4. Once More, With Feeling!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go kids! Get ready!

Marinette was still in shock. They had been in the car for a few minutes now, and Fu was looking at her expectantly. She knew she should ask something or say something, but all she could seem to do was flit her gaze back and forth between him and the black Oriental box between them. 

“Well?” He asked suddenly, looking at her like he was waiting for an answer. 

“Uh, what was the question again?” Marinette asked sheepishly, flushing as she looked away from the box and willed her eyes to stay off of it this time. 

“I asked if you were alright, Marinette,” said Fu, looking more concerned by the second. Marinette quickly nodded, not that it convinced him at all. Either way, the matter he had to discuss was too important to put off any longer. 

“I’m okay,” she added to her nod, though it she sounded like she was trying to convince herself too. “Why are you back? I had heard that you were in Italy with the Miraculous.” 

“I was,” he began with a nod, frowning slightly. “The Order of Guardians had suspicions about someone causing trouble there but it turned out to be minor. It was quickly handled, which is a good thing considering what I have to say next.” 

Both of them looked a little concerned now, Fu in a knowing way and Marinette in a more anxious way. Her eyes were flitting about again, and she began to wring her hands, squeezing them together in worry. 

“Marinette, I fear Paris may be in danger again,” he stated plainly, an undertone of weariness seeping through his words. “A late night, about a week ago, a shock of energy was felt by all the Guardians. The kind of energy only felt when the miraculous were first created. That is worrying in itself, but it is complicated even more by the fact that it was an entirely dark energy.” 

Of course, Marinette had no idea how to respond, her eyes wide and her mouth gaping open as she brought her hand to her face, trying to figure out what this would mean. 

“Someone, in Paris, has called a new, entirely dark kwami into existence. Something that should never have been possible, you have to understand. All of the kwamis so far have existed since the beginning of the universe itself, and have been connected to each other. This new one, it has no connection to the others. It seems as though some kind of tear has been created in the plane that the kwami reside in, splitting it in half. The kwamis you have met, they all belong to the light half. But now there is a dark half, and we do not understand how this could have happened.” Fu seemed to get increasingly tired and Marinette could do nothing but watch the hope drain from his eyes. 

“We have… theorized that it has something to do with our inability to bring Nooroo back. The other kwami have said that he has not been himself lately, as if part of him is missing. It is possible that the darkness that was shared between him and Gabriel Agreste could have created a rift. Now, it seems that someone has used that to their advantage and created a dark, mirrored version of Nooroo.” 

Marinette darkened at the mention of Gabriel Agreste, never quite getting over the shock of that. It had been even harder to process it when Adrien had understandably disappeared from school after the truth was told to the public. 

“Could it be him again?” she asked hesitantly, concerned for Adrien even though they had not spoken since then. Fu shook his head, frowning. 

“We did consider that, and as simple as it would be for it to be true, he is under the care of a hospital, and we made sure there would always be a Guardian supervising him there. So, no, Gabriel Agreste is not behind this. We did speculate that it could be his son, however,” he said sadly. He of course knew that Adrien Agreste and Chat Noir had been one and the same. It had always surprised him that the two teenagers had defeated Hawkmoth without revealing their identities, but he knew that Tikki had always been staunch about getting the chosen to follow that rule. 

“Adrien?” Marinette gasped loudly, recoiling in shock. “He could never do something like that, I’m sure of it.” She shook her head quickly, relaxing a little as she saw that Fu was nodding in agreement. 

“I am inclined to agree with you. After what happened to his father, the Guardians did intercede on his behalf, advising him on how to handle his father.” He sighed at the thought of that, knowing that the interceding guardian had been himself, but it was not the best time to reveal that knowledge to the young woman in front of him. “It was only brought up because he regularly visits him and they were wary of that, but the hospital says that it has done them  
both quite a bit of good,” he continued, looking down at the Miracle Box for a moment. 

“Marinette, you must understand that this is a highly unusual situation. Normally, we might select a new wielder, but because it is so soon after Hawkmoth and Paris has not forgotten its heroes,” he paused for a moment, watching Marinette start to look more panicked and trapped than he expected. “And because there is a chance that this may be one of the most dangerous threats presented to us, we feel that it is best that we return the miraculous back to you and-”

“No.” Marinette said loudly, cutting him off and shaking her head. “I’m not that person anymore, Master Fu,” she mumbled softly, starting to tear up a little. 

“You don’t understand what losing Tikki the first time did to me. I’m still not myself anymore. I’ve just finally started to find my way back to healing after two years and then you show up out of the blue and want me to do it again.” Marinette gritted her teeth, knowing she had an unusual amount of anger. As much as she knew that Fu had only done what he thought was needed, she didn’t think, no, she KNEW that it wasn’t fair to her. Idly, she wondered if Tikki could hear her talking from inside the Miracle Box, if she would try to convince her she was wrong. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think that I have it in me to be Ladybug anymore. I’m not worthy of it,” she added in a quieter tone, the blue brilliance of her eyes looking absolutely broken in that moment. 

Fu looked absolutely shattered. He had known that separating them would be painful but this was… unlike anything he had expected. In fact, he wasn’t sure if there had ever been someone who responded as extremely as Marinette seemed to. It hurt even more to know that she considered herself unworthy now. 

“Marinette, I cannot pretend to understand your pain. All I can say is that Ladybug had been a part of you long before I gave you the miraculous, no matter how deep she was buried within you. You will always be Ladybug,” he said quietly, meeting her eyes to try to convey absolute honesty. 

Something about his words burrowed deep into Marinette’s heart, reminding her of her teary eyed goodbye with Tikki. ‘You’ll always be my Ladybug’ the kwami had said. She had held the same amount of certainty as Master Fu seemed to now. Slowly she nodded, trying to process what he was really asking of her. The long nights, the erratic schedules, the lying, and most of all, the risk. Did she want that back, really? She knew that she had missed Tikki, and honestly, she even missed the feeling of having that power. It wasn’t exactly about the power itself, but the way it made her see herself. 

Even when she had felt like people would be disappointed if they knew plain and clumsy Marinette was the confident Ladybug heroine, she had still been kind of proud of herself. She had learned to be brave, and confident, and to stand up for herself like she rarely had before. Even more, she had witnessed Chloé make steps toward improvement just by having the Bee miraculous every now and then. She knew that being a hero was pushing herself to improve, which was what she had just promised herself she would try to do. 

“I need to think about it,” she said hesitantly. Master Fu nodded, though he looked more than a little worried. 

“I understand, though I can only give you so long.” He tapped the shoulder of the car driver, who started to pull to the side. Marinette wondered about that for a moment before assuming it was another guardian. “If you choose to accept the miraculous again, I will be waiting tomorrow at the Wall of Peace in Champ du Mars park.” 

——

Marinette’s walk back home was more daunting than usual, knowing that she had nothing but her thoughts to keep her company, and she had quite a few thoughts. A new miraculous? A new dark miraculous at that, which meant danger all over again. If she refused the ladybug miraculous, who would be the new holder? Would they be able to learn fast enough to keep Paris safe? What if something went wrong, and it was all because she didn’t want to to be Ladybug anymore? 

The more she thought about it, the more it felt like there was no good answer here. If she did accept the miraculous, it would be putting everyone she loved in danger all over again, even if she did have a better chance of defeating this threat. Plus, if she didn’t take back the miraculous, it would be sending another person into danger, and they would be thrown into it with no understanding of any of it, which would make them even more at risk. Actually, two people, because a new Ladybug would probably mean a new Chat Noir too. 

That was the biggest worry in her mind. Four years with her Chat, and she knew he didn't have a good home life, and he loved the freedom of being a hero. But he always threw himself into danger to protect her. What if, this time it ended up hurting him for real? She knew she would probably never see him again if she just continued living her normal life, but as much as she missed him, what if going back to being heroes got him killed? 

Of course, that was where even more doubt crept in. They had been separated from their powers and each other for two whole years. Maybe they wouldn’t take be in sync anymore. Or maybe she would be even clumsier than the first time she had fought as Ladybug, and almost destroyed all of Paris by forgetting to cleanse the akuma. All she had done in the past two years was wallow anyways. She was even worse than she had started off, how could she possibly live up to herself? Paris knew her as their hero, they would expect her to keep them safe, but what if she just wasn’t any good at it anymore? 

There were all too many questions and possibilities and uncertainties that it gave her a headache. It was all she could do to try not to think about it any longer, instead focusing on the coffee she had gotten with Alya and the idea of having a friend again. She was supposed to go to the station tomorrow to watch Alya record for her new show, which was exciting, especially since Marinette had never anticipated she would be invited. Of course, she was a little worried, but she also planned to try her very best to fix the friendship, because the more she thought about it, the more she knew she needed Alya, even if Alya didn’t really need her. 

By the time she got back to the bakery, she had been out for a few hours, and her parents greeted her warmly. It was already nearly dinner time, so she went upstairs to relax before having a quiet dinner with her parents and crawling right into bed afterward. 

——

It had been surprisingly easy for her to get up the next morning, and she didn’t know if it was because of excitement or because of going to sleep so early. Either way, she didn’t mind it, since it gave her time to get ready that morning. After taking a shower and having a minor crisis on what to wear, she decided on an outfit reminiscent of her style in her school years. A baggy black knit sweater was tucked into a figure hugging pink corduroy skirt that was held tight by a line of silver buttons right up the front of the skirt. She pulled on a pair of tights that were solid black until they passed her knees, where they turned transparent in a straight line, except for the little cat ears over her knees. 

For a moment, she started to pull her hair into pigtails but quickly decided against it, shaking her hair out. She thought for a moment about it, then grabbed two long pieces of pink ribbon and a section of hair from each side of her head, braiding the ribbon onto either side and then tying the ends into a bow at the back of her head. Even though she was a little unsure of herself, she applied some light makeup and a vanilla flavored lip gloss and then nodded to herself in the mirror. 

“Alright Marinette,” she said out loud in a semi hushed voice. “You can do this. Just be normal, and give Alya the support she deserves.” In all the drama of getting ready, she had been able to avoid thinking about the issue of her miraculous, but that problem was starting to crash into her again. To avoid thinking about it, she grabbed a pink beret and laced a pair of heeled black ankle boots to her feet and quickly darted down the stairs, still willing herself not to think too hard. 

For once, she had a very slim chance of being late, unless something catastrophic were to happen, which wasn’t impossible, knowing her luck. Thankfully, she made it to the station with no issues, and then called Alya, looking slightly confused when she heard ringtone she knew Alya had used since they were 14, coming from a group of people nearby. She looked closer at the group, seeing Alya’s grinning face talking to someone. 

Alya quickly stopped her conversation and gave everyone in the group a look that seemed to say ‘be chill’ before stepping out to wave to her friend. 

“Marinette, come over here!” She said excitedly, barely able to contain the brilliant smile on her face. Marinette made her way over, a little hesitant at first but then more certain as Alya started walking towards her, pulling the raven haired girl into a crushing hug as soon as she was close enough. “You really came, I’m so happy! And looking so cute, too, girl,” she teased, squeezing her one last time before pulling away. “Come on, everyone's over here.” 

It was at that moment that Marinette started to put together bits and pieces of the people in front of her, their hair and faces and the way they dressed. She had been too occupied to notice before, but practically her whole class was here. Marinette paled considerably and nearly stopped in her tracks, but forced herself to put on a little smile and keep walking. The first person to approach her other was a petite screeching blonde, dressed in pink from head to to, who crashed into her without hesitation. 

“MARINETTTTTTTEEEEE!!!!” She howled in delight, pulling her into a surprisingly tight hug. Another girl joined her in it very soon after, seeming to be the polar opposite of the blonde, dressed in lots of black with black hair to match. After they pulled away, Marinette couldn’t help  
but grin. Rose and Juleka looked almost entirely the same, although she noticed with a smile that pink highlights had replaced Juleka’s purple ones. The pair stepped away with smiles on their faces and Marinette approached the rest of the group a little nervously. 

“W-well, uh, hey everyone?” she said cautiously, immediately overwhelmed and overjoyed by the excited response they gave her. She waited patiently as she was passed from person to person in hugs, smiling widely the whole time and mentally listing the names. Ivan and Mylene, Alix, Max, Kim, Nathaniel and Marc, even Sabrina was there, and finally Nino pulled her into a crushing bear hug which Alya quickly joined. After all the hugging was done, Alya quickly explained. 

“Sorry to surprise you, but when you said you would come today, I couldn’t help  
but invite everyone else. Girl, we were all worried when you kind of disappeared, but we didn’t know what to do. And then, seeing you yesterday, you just seemed so lonely, and I wanted to cheer you up, so I asked Nino, and he had this idea and everyone else was so eager to see you, but it might have gotten out of hand…” Alya said, trailing off slightly as she finished. 

Marinette couldn’t help but be extremely touched by the whole gesture, sniffling softly as she felt tears forming in her eyes. She smiled sadly, looking over the group (and noticing with a familiar sinking feeling in her chest that a certain blonde boy was nowhere to be seen) before addressing them all. 

“I’m sorry I worried everyone. I think I got very unsure of myself at the end of lycée,” she mumbled hesitantly, not sure what else to say. “But I’m really trying to get back to normal now, and I can’t even tell you what it means that everyone is here.” 

She sniffled again and Alya draped an arm around her, leaning their heads together with a little laugh. “Of course we are Marinette, you don’t live through all that we did and not see this as a family,” she said smiling as everyone else there nodded emphatically. “And a certain blue haired guitar player will be coming by later,” Alya added, this time in a whisper that only Marinette could hear, which of course made her turn bright red. 

The group of them laughed and joked for a little, all of them talking to Marinette about what they had been up to. She was happy to learn that most of the groups couples had stayed together, and even a few more she had rooted for were finally dating, like Marc and Nath. She was very surprised to hear that Sabrina was going out with Max, something that made both of them blush furiously as they admitted it. Finally, after they had gotten their fill of talking to each other, the group started to break away, especially since it was close to time for Alya to get into the station.

“We’ll see you tonight, Marinette!” said Rose as she and Juleka walked off, leaving Marinette with just Alya and Nino now. She turned to look at the pair who then looked at each other and laugh sheepishly. 

“We may have planned a small party, dude,” said Nino, draping his arm around his girlfriend with a smile. The brunette looked at him and rolled her eyes. 

“Oh sure, ‘we’” she said teasingly, elbowing him in his side with a playful grin. “One of us got over-excited and didn’t want to listen when the other said that it might be overwhelming.” 

“Don’t worry, I’m looking forward to it!” Marinette said with a laugh, shaking her head at the two. She was happy to see that they were still such a well-matched pair. 

“Oh, really?” Alya said, a dangerous glint in her eyes as she turned to the dark haired girl. “Looking forward to the party or to seeing Luka?” 

Marinette nearly tripped over her own feet, turning to look at Alya and Nino’s laughing faces with her own bright red one. “I-I-I have noooooooooo idea what you’re talking about guys, haha!” She had gotten that “overly happy to the point it was almost creepy” smile on her face and was trying to keep herself from strangling Alya then and there as the three of them headed towards the doors of the tower. 

Just as they approached them, a figure stepped out, a middle-aged woman carrying a box of what appeared to be her belongings. Alya immediately looked concerned, quickly going to her. 

“Cynthia, where are you going? What happened?” It was clear from her reaction that the woman must be someone who worked at the station with Alya, though the older woman didn’t seem to like her very much from the expression on her face. 

“Oh you didn’t hear? In order to give your show a time slot, they got rid of mine.” Her voice was icy as she spoke, dripping with tones hopelessness and despair. Before Alya could reply to her, she stalked off, quickly turning a corner. 

Alya seemed more than a little troubled by the news, watching her walk away with concern in her eyes. She teared up slightly, looking to Nino for comfort. “I didn’t mean to…” she trailed off as her tears feel. Nino was quick to pull her into and embrace, gently rubbing his hand on her back to soothe her. Marinette couldn’t hear them talking, but it was clear that they were both upset, so she waited patiently for them to figure things out before she approached. Alya gave her a sad look, wiping the last of her tears from her eyes as she saw her friend. “I’m sorry Marinette, I’m sure that wasn’t something you expected to deal with today.”

“Oh, Alya, hush,” she said quickly, pulling her into a hug of her own. “None of this is your fault. If they wanted to give you her slot, they had their own reasons for it.” Marinette patted her friends back, giving her one extra squeeze before pulling away. 

“Now let’s get you in there so you can host your amazing show, okay?” Alya just nodded, taking a second to fix her makeup in a compact mirror before gritting her teeth and giving the most confident look Marinette had ever seen. 

——

They were almost ready to start broadcasting, finally. They were about five minutes from the start time, and people were rushing around and checking all sorts of levers and buttons. Marinette herself was sitting with Nino and chattering anxiously about him and Alya’s lives. Finally, the moment came and the studio called for quiet and everyone turned to watch Alya as she slid on a headset and pushed a button that played a very fun and quick soundtrack. 

“Hello France Inter listeners and welcome to the first ever episode of the newest hit talk show, Ordinary Heroes! I’m your host, and the creator of everyone’s favorite Ladyblog, Alya Césaire. Every day, we’ll be discussing ordinary heroes in our lives, as well as a few extraordinary ones too!” Alya paused for a moment, turning to give her producer a quick questions thumbs up that was met with an eager nod and smile. She was about to start speaking again when a loud static cut in from every speaker and headset in the room. Marinette looked around wildly, watching as everyone else had similar reactions. The automatic assumption was that some kind of technical glitch had happened, so Alya shrugged and tried to address it. 

“Uh, sorry everyone, it seems like we’re having some technical errors on our first day?” She said hesitantly looking around. A sudden laugh came through the speakers, just like the static noise. 

“Her first day and she’s already dropping the ball!” The voice that the laugh had come from was now speaking, and everyone stood stone still. 

“Goooooood Afternoon, Paris, I am Radio Silence. You’ve had two years of peace, but peace is boring. There’s a new player in town, and he’s looking to cause a little trouble.” The tension in the station was palpable at this point, everyone looking at each other with the same look that said ‘An akuma? But how?’ The clearly female voice saying that a ‘he’ was behind this made everyone worry as well. They all thought Hawkmoth was defeated, and put away in a cell. 

The only one who had reacted differently had been the raven haired girl in the corner. Although she looked shocked and scared too, she didn’t seem to question how this could be. Suddenly all the equipment seemed to die and Alya ran out of the recording room and quickly found Nino and Marinette. She wrapped both of them in a hug, before Marinette grabbed both of them by the arm and dragged them out of the room. 

“You two should go home,” she said as soon as they were out of the room. There were others in the hallway, all grabbing their things and heading for the stairs with well remembered routes. Even in two years, it was hard to completely forget what being under attack was like. “Stay together, and try to stay out of the open and maybe even away from technology. Whoever this is seems to have power over it.” 

“What about you?” Alya said quickly, grabbing her friends arm as she turned to dart away. “Shouldn’t we all stay together?” 

“Well, I, uhm, have to check on my parents? Yeah! I have to check on them!” She said quickly, trying to ignore her friends very disbelieving looks. Before they could question her further, she freeing her arm and disappearing into the crowd of people rushing for the stairs. 

The couple laughed, turning to each other and shaking their heads. 

“It’s good to see she hasn’t changed that much,” Nino said with a small smile, looking at his girlfriend. 

“Yeah, she’s definitely still Marinette,” Alya replied. She grabbed his hand, leaning up to kiss his cheek. “Now c’mon, Bubbler,” she teased affectionately. “We should do like she said and get home.” 

——

Marinette was already most of the way to the park before she finally spotted the villainized woman, trying to place why she looked nearly familiar. She was dressed from head to toe in neon highlighter tones, mainly yellow and green, and zipping through the air on a huge object that looked suspiciously like a remote. She occasionally pressed a button on it, and people around her would suddenly clap, or burst into laughter. It reminded Marinette of early television, or talk shows, with tracks for each reaction the audience was supposed to have. It suddenly hit her that the woman looked familiar because it was the woman who had been at the tower and said that Alya had replaced her. It was easy to put the pieces together from there that whatever this new miraculous was, it had to work similar to the butterfly, which made things a little easier. 

Without giving herself any time to have doubts, she sped up her sprint to the park, hoping that Master Fu was still there despite the confusion. Seeing Alya scared, and now knowing there was a good chance the woman was heading to Alya directly, she had made up her mind. Even if she sucked at it, even if she failed and got herself hurt, she would never, ever let her friend get hurt if she had a chance to stop it. 

Master Fu saw her in the distance and sighed in relief, opening up the Miracle Box as the girl slid to a halt in front of him. 

“Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You were once the wielder of the miraculous of the ladybug, which bestowed upon you the power of creation. Paris is in danger again and needs its heroes. Will you accept your miraculous again and fight once more for the greater good?”

Fu looked at her expectantly, proud of the blue steel in her eyes that had always been inside of her. Even if Marinette thought that Ladybug was separate from her, he knew that all of the power she would ever need was inside of her. The raven haired young woman in front of him bowed with respect, then carefully grabbed the earrings in front of her and put them on. She looked at the red kwamu who appeared, both nodding at each other before giving the fiercest look he had ever seen from her before speaking. 

“Tikki, spots on!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A v e r y long chapter, guys.
> 
> Please let me know what you think! This story is very much my child, and I really wanted to explore the darkening of miraculous, especially in new context. If you have questions, please ask! 
> 
> -Mari <3


	5. Radio Silence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took way longer than expected. I wanted to make it as perfect as I could. I wanted you to feel the rush of transforming right alongside Marinette, to feel the wind and the pure h o p e in her heart. 
> 
> Just for fun, listen to the song “Couldn’t Believe” by Broods while reading! I feel like it perfectly encompasses her feelings with the lyrics as well as the tempo and tone!

It was as easy as falling asleep, Marinette thought to herself, to slip back into the easy rhythm of swinging from rooftop to rooftop, of just being Ladybug again. She knew she had to be charged with extra adrenaline and support from Tikki but she felt nothing short of miraculous. It was as if the past two years slipped off her back without a whisper of resistance, leaving her feeling more fulfilled than she had even before then. 

It was an intoxicating sensation. Sailing past trees and buildings and people and animals like a bird, it was something that had always been her favorite part of being Ladybug. It took such little effort for her to fall back into her patterns, as naturally as breathing. She could feel that her had even tied itself back into the pigtails she had always worn, something that she couldn’t help but grin at. They were much much longer now, but all that length did was add to the thrill of rushing through the wind. She was fast, and lithe, everything she had always dreamt of. Her clumsiness was left behind with her civilian identity and more than anything else, she just felt so free. 

She whooped out loud in joy, throwing herself in a wide arc through the air. At this point, people on the streets had started to take notice, pointing and looking at each other with giddy smiles or total confusion, sometimes even a mix of both. As much as she had never been too excited by the fame that came with her position, she was already busy grinning as she thought about the photos and headlines that would follow her. She wondered if the Ladyblog was still online and Alya’s phone was pinging with rapid-fire alerts as pictures and videos were sent in and new forum discussions started. 

She made sure to make herself visible as possible, feeling all her doubts and worries fade away with every tense and release of her muscles. Ladybug dropped onto the ground for a moment as she reached the Montparnasse Tower, the most likely place that a media based villain would target. Especially if her earlier theory was right, and Alya was in danger, this was the only place she could be headed. Taking extra care to smile at passerby, she sprinted around the perimeter of the building and looked for signs of an attack. Eventually she found them, in a group of people looking at each other with confusion as they clapped uncontrollably. 

Even in her joy, she was still the same Ladybug though, and an air of urgency and concern lurked just under the surface of her unadulterated happiness. She could feel Tikki there too, her warm energy thrumming just under the surface of her mind. Tikki seemed to immediately synchronize into the same wavelengths, feeling that pure bliss and the worry that ran underneath it. There were people to be saved, after all. 

Ladybug quickly looked through the group for injuries, some of them applauding even harder and louder when they noticed her, bright and beaming smiles on their lips. With a small and slightly embarrased wave, she wrapped her yo-yo around the base of an antenna at the top of the tower and pulled sharply on it, launching herself upwards until her feet hit the glass of the building. She was being a little more showy than she normally would — and the thought crossed her mind that Chat Noir would be a bit proud — but it just all felt so good. Running straight up the side of the building like something out of a comic book, she noticed a neon silhouette on one of the floors of offices and grinned. She sprinted a little further up, holding her breath for a moment. 

Then, without any further hesitation, she kicked off of the building, her head launching themselves over her feet as she backflipped into the open air. The entire world seemed to hold its breath to her eyes. Leaves passed and swirled around her in slow motion and for a second she felt like she was as close to flying as she would ever come.

Then she pulled her yo-yo taut and turned her body, flipping over until her feet crashed through the glass of the right floor with the precision of a bullet. As soon as she was through the glass she tucked into a roll to carefully take the impact. She could hear the gasps and screams of the huddled group of hostages in the office, something that made her all the more fierce as she sprung forward from the roll and launched herself at Radio Silence with an energy she didn’t even know was possible. The thought crossed her mind that Tikki must be giving her one hell of a boost, but it didn’t last long as she whipped her yo-yo forward from behind her, knocking into the forehead of the villain with a satisfying thunk.

Ladybug stood tall, one hand on her hip and the other sending her yo-yo whizzing around in a circular defensive maneuver at her side. A perfectly smug smirk sat on her lips, bluebell eyes shining with defiance and hope. 

“Hey highlighter, I think it’s about time someone hit your mute button,” she quipped with a widening grin at the shocked look on the face of the woman. Whoever had sent her, they clearly hadn’t anticipated the welcoming committee before them now. From behind the villainess, whoops and cheers were sent up, and the spotted heroine could have sworn that she saw a familiar brunette head with a cell phone raised in front of her eyes. 

Radio Silence whipped around to face Ladybug, hurrying to recover from her shock and get the drop on the hero. She zipped forward, stepping on a button on her remote. Ladybug was quick to dart out of the way, going on the defensive as she tucked and rolled and acrobatically dodged the laser beams that fired from the remote at her. Flying past her in a blur of bright yellow and green, Radio Silence headed for the shattered window that Ladybug had entered from. 

Ever the concerned heroine, Ladybug looked back through the group behind her, smiling as a good number of them emphatically waved her off with grins and thumbs up. As soon as she was sure they were safe enough, she turned on her heel and sped off in the same direction as her fleeing adversary. 

She took a running leap, jumping from the window with her arms spread wide, as though she was an Olympic diver about to face the greatest challenge of their lives. Twisting gracefully mid-air, she threw her yo-yo up with all her strength, directing it to wrap around something, anything in reach. It coiled around a different antenna and she grinned, pulling it taut with the intention to swing herself in the direction her enemy had gone. However, fate had different ideas and her look of pride quickly became on of horror as the antenna snapped like a twig and she and her yo-yo were left to the work of gravity. She turned to look down, her eyes widening at the rapidly approaching pavement. Even with the extra power boost and the already protective nature of the suit, she had no doubt that this was pushing the limit. She started to brace herself for impact, hoping beyond hope that she would somehow survive this. She threw her yo-yo frantically one last time, trying to snag something and finding herself oddly unlucky. 

Suddenly she felt her back crash into something solid and she let out a terrified squeak and squeezed her eyes shut, thinking she had finally hit the ground. When she felt no lasting pain after a few seconds, she risked opening her eyes. At first, all she saw was a Paris street in motion — or... wait, was she the one in motion? Looking down at herself and seeming unharmed, she turned her head the other way. 

“As lovely of a damsel-in-distress you are, we really should stop meeting like this, m’lady.” Her eyes lit up like the moon when they met a pair of startlingly green ones, attached to an all-too-familiar roguish grin. 

“Is that any way to say hello, you mannerless alley-cat?” She grinned back at him, shifting in his grip to wrap an arm around his shoulders comfortably. Chat Noir let out an amused laugh, slowing down for a moment to let her find her feet, which she quickly did and immediately continued running with him. She was delighted to find that even after years of separation, her body fell into step with his, leaping and gliding and launching themselves together. 

“So, Bugaboo, what’s the plan?” He asked with a glance at her, grinning again when she rolled her eyes at the pet name. 

“Well, I don’t know how much Fu has filled you in on, but if this is a reflection of the butterfly miraculous, hopefully it works the same way,” she said quickly. Pointing ahead of her, she gestured to the remote. “I think that the akuma, or whatever it is, it’s most likely in that. We have to get her away from it though, because anyone in her vicinity goes completely silent.” She glanced at Chat, who nodded in understanding. 

“Which means we have to call out powers before we get close enough to use them,” he finished the thought for her, looking thoughtful as she nodded in response. “So, same as usual m’lady?” 

He waited for her to shoot him a smile in agreement, and then bounded ahead of her, throwing himself into the range of the superpowered baddie. Even though he couldn’t speak, his eyes and hands clearly showed that he was looking for trouble and Radio Silence was all too happy to give it to him. 

Watching from a nearby roof, Ladybug grinned, watching him slip back into the patterns in much the same way she had. Not wanting to hesitate too long, she threw her yo-yo straight into the air with a smile that looked beyond ecstatic. 

“Lucky Charm!” She called out, watching as the magic ladybugs gathered around the yo-yo to craft the item in a split second before it dropped down into her hand. “A rubber band?” She said questioningly, looking down at the over large rubber ring of red and black in her hand. 

It took just a moment for her to come up with a plan as she watched Chat holding off the evilized woman. Her eyes flicked on several objects in her vision, her smile widening as they lit up with red and black spots. Determined not to waste any more time, she swung down onto the ground and looped the band over a lamppost. With great effort and some unflattering grunting, she managed to stretch it over another one, just far away enough to give it the tightness and recoil she needed. She stepped out of range of Radio Silence, cupping her hands over her mouth to shout. 

“Hey you! Highlighter! Remember me?” she taunted openly, waving her arms over her head. The woman turned herself around on her remote, taking her eyes off of Chat Noir who looked questioningly at his partner. She gave him a subtle wink and motioned for him to back up out of range. By now, Radio Silence was speeding through the air towards Ladybug, who looked ready and waiting, her yo-yo twirling in a circle at her side. 

When her target reached the right spot, she threw it forward and wrapped it around the woman, tangling her up in it as she fell off of her surfboard remote in confusion, rolling to a stop and struggling frantically. The spotted heroine was quick to sprint to the remote, hefting it in front of the stretched rubber band and signaling her partner, who looked confused for a split second. As she started to pull the remote and rubber band backwards, his eyes widened and he began to back up, listening carefully to when he was out of range. When he looked far enough away, Ladybug nodded silently and sent a prayer to Tikki that she wouldn’t over shoot this. Then she let it go, watching the rubber band recoil and fling the remote into the air. 

“Cataclysm!” yelled Chat, watching is sail through the air towards him. He turned around, springboarding himself off of a car and launched to meet the remote halfway. His hand collided with it in mid-air, and it crumbled to dust in a fraction of a second, falling around him. 

Watching him carefully, Ladybug waited for the purple butterfly she was anticipating. He looked around wildly, trying to spot it as well, but they both just looked more confused by the second. The both looked at the villainess, thinking maybe they had destroyed the wrong object, but her costume had vanished and she was just a normal woman now, and had even given up struggling. 

Ladybug scanned the whole area, her hope diminishing by the second. Suddenly, in the shadow of a tree, she noticed something shimmering in black and green. She rushed towards it, and Chat followed close at her heels. They both stopped a few feet away, looking at the little shadow creature, hanging upside down in the tree. 

“Is that… a bat?” Chat whispered cautiously, taking another quiet step towards it. He tilted his head to the side, observing it with a very cat-like posture, one that Ladybug couldn’t help but smirk at. 

“I think so,” she said softly, already starting to swing her yo-yo. It clearly wasn’t a normal bat, not with the strange emerald green glint it gave off as it shifted under the tree. “No more evildoing for you,” she murmured, still sounding sure of herself, just quieter. 

Her yo-yo flicked forward and a glowing light consumed the bat, which made them both breathe a sigh of relief. They looked at each other knowingly, glad this wouldn’t be a repeat of their first mission together, when an uncleansed akuma had turned hundreds into Stone-Heart copies. 

Ladybug recalled the yo-yo to her hands and looked down at it, cautiously swiping her hand over the top. Another sigh of relief escaped as a pure white bat fluttered away. “Bye-bye, little bat!” she said cheerfully. For a moment there, the doubt had flickered in. What if she was right before, that she wasn’t Ladybug anymore? Having her powers again had made her feel so alive that she had lost sight of those worries. But it was only the first time an attack like this had happened right? It couldn’t have possibly been that easy to end that. There had to be something more going on. 

Chat Noir looked just as worried as her, though she had no idea that his main worry was her. He could see the stages of doubt flickering through her and sighed slightly. She looked so unsure of herself all of the sudden, as compared to the girl who had so confidently thrown herself off of the tower. 

“I can tell exactly what you’re thinking, and you need to put it out of your mind, m’lady,” he said softly. Hoping she wouldn’t be offended or afraid, he stepped closer and slowly wrapped his arms around her, trying to give her time to push him off. Instead, she seemed to wither into the embrace, wrapping her arms around him in return. She somehow seemed smaller than she had before, bowed over by her doubts, insecurities, and the familiar feeling of having the weight of the world on her shoulders. They stayed like that for a few minutes. As much as she wanted to thank him, Ladybug couldn’t find the right words to tell her partner what his gesture meant, instead settling for wrapping her arms tighter and burying her face in his shoulder. Just as he started to relax into it, holding her close to him with a warm feeling settling into his bones, her earrings beeped their second to last warning 

She pulled away, giving him a smile and he just nodded in return. Even though she was trying to play it off, he easily noticed the melancholic dullness in her blue eyes. Either way, they were both going to de-transform soon, and they would have plenty of time later to talk, though it would hopefully be sooner rather than later. She had started to swing away, quickly stopping herself to go back to his side. 

“Hey Chat. Pound it,” she said with a brighter smile, holding her first out to his. He couldn’t help but light up at the little gesture, gently tapping his fist to hers. Pulling back, she gave him a little wave. “Bug out!” 

His eyes watched her to the very last second, making sure she was alright until she dipped out of sight into an alleyway. Even if she couldn’t see him, he sent a two-fingered salute in her direction, smiling widely. After that, he turned in the opposite direction and quickly headed off to do the same thing, de-transforming in a nearby alleyway. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How did you like our first enemy? She was kind of bland i knOw, but the next chapter will make up for it much more. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> -Mari <3


	6. Hope is a Bright Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one... took some time? it took me so long to finally feel like it was right. please enjoy! 
> 
> if you’re interested: 
> 
> listen to “Rabbit-Hearted Girl” by Florence + the Machine. The lyrics relate a lot to what Marinette is feeling as she faces down her new enemy and a second chance behind the mask!

Much too soon after she stepped out of the alley way, Marinette heard the screaming begin again. Could it already be another person turned into a villain again? She had already thought that fight had been far too simple, but whatever the bat had been, it was purified. She was sure of that, at least. 

Tikki, as tired as she must have been, put on a brave face. Marinette couldn’t help but feel awful that they still hadn’t even had a chance to properly talk yet, and even worse since she didn’t really carry cookies on her anymore. Just as she was about to give up on finding something and approach the source of the screaming in her civilian form, she spotted a vendor just a little ways down the street, selling sweets from a little cart. She hurried towards him, somewhat rudely handing him a euro bill and grabbing a pre packaged sugar cookie shaped like a flower. 

“Sorry, in a hurry, keep the change!” she called over her shoulder, unwrapping the cookie and shoving it in her purse as she sprinted towards the screams. She was already feeling winded by the time she got close enough to get any clue at what people were running away from. At first it just looked like there was some kind of flock of birds, although it was kind of a bigger one than she expected. She had kind of gotten used to annoyingly large flocks of pigeons from the repeated encounters with Mr. Ramier, but she wasn’t sure if whoever this was could just reuse that power. Marinette wished she could brush it off as a flock of birds, but the screaming made it clear that it couldn’t be that simple. 

The thought occurred to her, and not for the first time, that she didn’t know nearly enough about the Miraculous. Tikki, Plagg, Master Fu, and all of the kwamis had always been far too vague about their history and powers and limits. Even when Fu had said he hoped to train Marinette to become the next guardian, he was still too withholding of information. He only ever told them what he thought was absolutely necessary for the circumstances at hand, and nothing more. As much as she understood his hesitance, and wanted to have patience with him, she was afraid that in this scenario, her lack of knowledge could put them in danger. She hadn’t even begun to understand the rules of the miraculous, and suddenly they were changing in ways even Fu couldn’t comprehend. How was she supposed to have hope that they would come out of this safe and sound? 

Just as she started to lose herself in another anxiety spiral, she felt a sharp pinch on her arm and looked down. 

“Did you just… bite me?!” She whispered angrily, trying to keep the scowl on her face even though she felt like laughing. The little red and black kwami at least had the decency to look a little guilty, although she seemed more worried than anything. 

“You need to focus, Marinette!” she squeaked in that voice that Marinette couldn’t help but find precious. She had missed the kwami dearly, and had no idea how to begin to explain that. Seeing the suddenly sad expression in Marinette’s eyes, Tikki softened as well, her head tilting and nudging her chosen’s hand. “I know, Marinette. But this isn’t the time. Whatever those are, I can feel powerful darkness coming from them. We need to transform,” she warned, her tone soft but urging. 

Marinette nodded, wishing that she had the time to sit down with her kwami. It was clear that they both needed the conversation right now. There was so much to work through, things that had happened and had yet to, and Marinette was strongly considering having a word with her kwami about needing open communication. 

“Alright,” she said, slow and hesitant. She ducked into the nearest alleyway, quickly scanning the area to see if anyone was nearby. “Tikki, spots on!” 

The bright pink light flashed over her and illuminated the back corner of the alley she was hiding in, and then it quickly dissipated, leaving a red-suited heroine in place of the teenage girl. She shook herself for a second, feeling that her hair had been tucked into pigtails again. She made a mental note to ask Tikki about that later. Looking down at herself and the black and red bodysuit, she wondered if she could do something about that as well. 

Remembering that she had a job to do, she shook herself from her reverie again and threw her yoyo to wrap around a chimney pipe on a nearby roof, yanking harshly to pull herself into the air. From the higher vantage point, she looked around for wherever the screams were coming from. Seeing a crowd gathered around the Eiffel Tower and the growing swarm of dark winged things around it, she felt a dark sense of deja vu. Before she could dwell on it, she took off towards the tower and the throng of people, sprinting overhead on the rooftops with well-earned ease. Marinette couldn’t help but briefly worry about how easy it had been to slip back into the patterns of playing hero. Before she had the chance to fully flesh that worry out, she was on a rooftop just outside the crowd. 

“Hello, Paris.” A deep and rumbling voice resounded from the throng of tiny flying bodies, seeping into Marinette’s mind in a terrifying way. 

It seemed to have the same effect on everyone else as well, the whole park becoming stock still and silent as the ominous words echoed through endless ears. The people of Paris were frozen in a potent mixture of fear and interest, torn between wanting to run and the need to know who this new threat was. After all, they had had years of practice to get used to regular dangers, and quite a few of them had become heroes in their own right, and weren’t afraid to be on the front lines. Ladybug herself was frozen too, though there was more dread than curiosity in her heart. 

“You have grown complacent in your short years of peace. That will change, I assure you,” the voice continued, chuckling darkly without any apparent source. “It was not so long ago that you all stood just like this and watched Gabriel Agreste begin his reign of terror over your city, a coward who took pride in hiding in the shadows.” 

As those words washed over the crowd, the swarm of creatures slowed, parting like the sea to reveal a stark white figure walking on empty air. 

“But I am no coward,” the man said simply, a menacing cheshire grin growing on his face. He was a fearsome sight, a horrifying combination of angelic and deadly. Long, snow white hair trailed over his shoulders, a strand lingering in front of his face. In fact, he seemed to be pure white from head to toe. His clothing was an odd mix of modern and something that looked like it stepped right from the pages of a steampunk novel. A high collared and fitted tunic with a row of buttons just off the center. It was fitted with dramatic gloves that had claws at the fingertips but flared out at the wrists. Covering the phantom figures face was a mask, looking almost like a shattered shard of porcelain on the face of the villain. The eyes behind it were even more unusual, solid black with a miniscule rim of emerald green where the iris should be. In fact, the whole costume thrummed with that emerald green, glinting and shining in bolts that danced as though they were alive. As the figure stepped forward again, she realized that what she had dismissed as a cape was a set of dangerous looking wings. As they folded in behind him, she realized that they were just as tall as him, and when extended must be just as wide. 

Staring at this figure from the very edge of the crowd, she could feel the growing fear. No one expected a villain like this to just appear so easily. Realizing that whoever this was, they were sure of themselves, a pit of absolute horror settled into her stomach. 

It felt like all the feelings of happiness from before had vanished, and she was stuck on the rooftop, lead holding her down at the soles of her feet and sinking into her soul. Did she really want to do this again? Could she even do it? It was so easy to want to be a hero when it was just flying through the air and protecting those who were dear to her. But this was another level entirely. The bright glamour of freedom and adventure dripped away and the girl behind the mask was left to stare down the danger before her. 

Who was she to be a hero in the first place? Just a timid designer, a young girl trying to find her way through life. To put this mask on again, to stand in front of all of Paris for a second time, more than anything else, was a sacrifice. She had no way of knowing if it would ever be enough. Part of her wished her partner was there, and was almost sad that he wasn’t. He would know what to say, as he always did. Trying to conjure his words in her mind, she gritted her teeth. For the second time in her life, she willed herself to find a warrior’s heart and bravery deep inside her, pausing for a moment when she felt herself draw out a familiar warmth. The pure energy of creation pooled in her chest, filling her up and reflecting out like sunlight over a still pond. Deep inside of her, undoubtedly coaxed out by her kwami, she reminded herself that Marinette and Ladybug were not different people. They had been, and always would be one and the same. The growing fear of this new threat faded away, and all at once the warmth spilled over from its previously small pool, filling every inch of her spirit with rays of vibrance and light and hope. 

Marinette smiled warmly from under the mask, meeting the eyes of a young boy who had happened to take notice of her. He waved excitedly, poking and prodding his mother to turn around. When she finally did, all that she saw was a flash of shining red, leaping from a rooftop without a breath of doubt. 

Ladybug threw herself into the air, her yo-yo flying far ahead of her and around one of the supports of the tower. As she was pulled towards the tower by the recoiling of her weapon, she had not a single thought about plans or procedures. She landed on the ground in front of the tower, standing defiantly between the crowd of onlookers and the menacing man. The gasps and hushed cheers that came from behind her fell on deaf ears as she stared down the man who was standing on the beam above her. 

“Mademoiselle Bug, how kind of you to finally appear.” An empty smile graced his lips as he bowed mockingly, traces of a demeaning sneer seeping through his mask. She could feel the dark energy radiating from him in waves. As powerful as he felt, nothing could have stopped her now. Ladybug took a step forward, challenging him fearlessly. Her blue eyes met his dark ones with a cold front that rivaled the Arctic winds, daring him to try to make himself lord of her city. 

“What kind of host would I be if I hadn’t, monsieur…?” she trailed off, confidence emanating from each syllable as she waited for him to give her a name. Villains, at least, were predictable to some extent, even if his personal appearance had been a shock. He would want her to know his name, and from his theatrics, he wanted all of Paris to know it. 

“The Hollower, at your service,” he said, bowing again, though with more sincerity this time, even as his words dripped with sarcasm. When Ladybug made no attempt to respond, he shook his head, clicking his tongue disapprovingly at her. “Unfortunately, my dear bug, I don’t plan to fill in all the blanks quite so soon. I’m sure everyone knows what I want; and I know that I’ll have it soon enough. Until then, adieu, Ladybug.” 

Without any further pomp and circumstance, he clapped his hands together and suddenly the swarm of bats swirled around him. Startled to movement, Ladybug swung up to where he had been standing and threw herself into the swarm, wildly searching for any sign of the man. He had been right in front of her, and suddenly he was gone. 

“I’d be more careful, Little Bug,” his voice said, seeming to come from deep inside her own head. She shuddered and stopped moving, clutching her ears desperately. “Bats can eat bugs like you in one measly bite,” he said into her mind, extra sharpness ringing out from his last words. Ladybug squeezed her eyes closed, shutting him out and calling again on the energy of creation that had started to recede inside of her. When she reached for it, it responded with lively excitement, spreading out doubly strong until it was seeping out of her eyery pore. When the last trace of his darkness was cleaned away, she reached for her yo-yo. Instead of swinging it haphazardly, something prompted her to simply open it up and let the light spill out. She did so, feeling the energy inside of her respond in kind until both she and the yo-yo were enveloped with a growing bubble of shining white brightness. 

Each and every little bat was trapped inside of it, immediately flashing pure white as soon as it was completely enclosed in the rapidly expanding orb. As soon as she felt that all the negative force had been cleared from the area, Marinette took a deep breath, and then cast all of the light outwards in a firework show of vibrance. It burst out in a wide circle, over the heads of the people in the crowd and stretching for miles in every direction. She had never felt anything like it. 

Turning to face the crowd of people, she found herself more in tune with the emotions of the people, as if she could feel the heart of every person there. What was even more overwhelming was the joyful clamor that came from both their hearts and their voices, cheers and smiles as the wave of light and hope washed over them. 

“People of Paris, I know that it isn’t an easy thing to see your city in danger again. But I promise you now, just as I promised you then. None of us will ever stand alone. Come what may, I will always keep your home… no, our home safe. Paris is now, and will always be protected.” 

The resounding cries of hope and pride filled her heart more than she knew they could. Ladybug looked out on the crowd of her people, scanning the rooftops for a glimpse of black leather and friendly green eyes, then trying not to let the disappointment sink in when she saw none. Instead, she let herself float in the growing amount of hope and positivity brewing between herself and the crowd. It was almost intoxicating, she mused idly, taking a deep breath to soak it in. After a final moment of enjoying it, she threw her yo-yo in a wide arc, catching it on a nearby billboard and swinging through the air again. As she passed over head, the people of Paris couldn’t help but be filled with such admiration and hope. Ladybug had always had this effect on people, but something today felt different. In fact, those who really paid attention would say that the positivity came from the heroine herself, and the more they felt it, the more that they were sure that she was almost glowing with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading !!!!!
> 
> I hope you’re intrigued by Hollower, and that you felt this chapter to stay accurate to the characters. There’s plenty more excitement to come. 
> 
> As always, PLEASE let me know what you thought! I love feedback <3 (and I love art even more, and I welcome anyone who wants to draw out how they pictured the characters!)
> 
> \- Mari <3


	7. In the Shadows of Paris

By the next day, Paris was abuzz with nothing but talk of heroes and villains. The defeat of another villainized civilian slipped to the background as the new driving darkness behind it took up front pages. Even more talked about than him though, was Ladybug herself. Every newspaper, blog, television station, and even magazines had immediately placed her in the center of every feature, Paris’s darling hero finally come home. Marinette was a strange mixture of proud and mortified as she combed through all of the articles. Plenty of them talked about her act of defiance against the Hollower, printing the full speech with images taken by people in the crowd. One of her favorites was a small news website that had focused specifically on how she seemed more skilled and powerful than before, citing a video of her flying leap into Montparnasse Tower as well as one of the brand new power she had displayed when facing Hollower. 

Out of all of them though, she was ecstatic to see that the Ladyblog had never been taken down, and was already once again the top source for everything about Paris’s heroes. After postponing Marinette’s “homecoming” party, Alya had made a not so discreet post about Chat saving Ladybug with the usual mentions of romance between them. She had also featured the new power on the website, calling it the Miraculous Burst, which Marinette quite liked. It was comforting to see that even though Alya was older now, she was still the same girl on the inside, chasing after stories of larger than life heroes. 

Marinette had hardly been able to sleep that night, still trembling with some sort of powerful feeling. It was as if she could still feel the energy of the crowd in some way, like it kept her charged endlessly. It was unlike anything she had felt before in all her years of being Ladybug. Tikki seemed to be affected by it too, losing all of the weariness that she normally had after a big battle with a villain, and she had explained it as being a part of Ladybug that came with age. Powers of creation fed off of hope and positive energy, and there had been more in the air yesterday than either of them had expected.

The energy had kept her awake for hours, long ones that she had spent talking to Tikki. After they had caught up and gotten cozy with each other — a process that included lots of tears, hugs, and sweet treats — Marinette was shocked to discover that she was feeling more than a little inspired. With plenty of coaxing from her kwami, she finally gave in and pulled out an unused sketch book and started to draw. It was simple at first, small things from around her room in an effort to warm up her hand. Then, she surprised herself by drawing faces, her classmates and people from the radio station today. She kept at it for hours, barely acknowledging her mom when she brought dinner up to her. Her mother had been so surprised when she saw that Marinette had a sketchbook in hand again, she couldn’t bear to tear her away from it. 

It was only when it was about one in the morning that Marinette took a break, pausing to look through everything she had drawn. A few hours prior, she had slipped into clothing designs again, though these didn’t come as easy as the simple sketches did. She started with outfits for some of her friends, things based on their newer, more mature looks. She gradually shifted from that though, her hand idly drawing the silhouettes of dresses and suits as her mind slipped into the hero aspect of her day. The last design she had made was an updated version of her own Ladybug suit, one that she wasn’t entirely sold on yet. She wasn’t even sure if the suit could be changed of course, but she turned to Tikki to ask her about it. 

“Hey Tikki?” She said softly, waiting for the red kwami to float over in her direction from the other side of the room and her little nest of blankets. 

“Yes, Marinette?” Tikki replied when she had landed on Marinette’s desk. 

“I was wondering, when I transformed today, the suit looked the same as it did before, even my hair was the same even though it was put up differently before then. Is that what it’ll always look like for me?”

Tikki shook her head, thinking for a second before she answered. “Well, the suit does update at some point as you age, it depends on the skill and power development though.”

“Is there any way to control it, like manually? Would you be able to make it look a certain way?” To be honest, she wasn’t entirely sure how her current costume had formed itself. Her hair had stayed the same, so she assumed that the wearer’s personal style was factored in as well. 

“The transformation itself is essentially combining you and I, Marinette. My chosen are always creative people, and lots of them have had requests for specific things in the past. I’m sure that we could figure it out together.” The little kwami smiled, floating up to nuzzle her chosen’s cheek affectionately. “Besides, the fact that you could use that new ability today means that you’re very close to reaching the full potential of your powers. I haven’t had a chosen reach that power in a long time.”

Marinette gave her a questioning look at the last statement, not quite sure what she meant by it. Tikki nodded slightly, continuing her explanations. 

“I’m sure you noticed that Hawkmoth, Mayura, Master Fu, and even Bunnix all held their transformations much longer than you could. Just like your suits, your powers also receive a bit of an upgrade as you mature. It always depends on the wearer, but the miraculous have much more power than just the one ability. Not very many can use them, only those who are most in tune with their miraculous.” Tikki paused, sighing sadly and resting on Marinette’s hand. “If we hadn’t been separated, you would most likely have reached your adult powers by now. I’m sorry, Marinette.” 

“Tikki, that wasn’t your fault. And we’re together now, right?” She gently cupped the kwami in her hand and brought her up to eye level. “I promise you, I don’t hold any anger towards you.” Her kwami smiled shyly and nodded, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then settling back in her hand. 

“I think you might be my most powerful wearer yet, Marinette. I had my suspicions way back when you used the mouse miraculous to wield all of those other ones as well. There have been very few people who could even come close to that ability.” It was Marinette’s turn to blush now, shaking her head in a hurry to disagree with her kwami’s praises. Tikki could only sigh in response, knowing her chosen wasn’t likely to accept any compliments or comments on her impressive ability. 

“Either way, using the Miraculous Burst, as Alya has named it, means that you’ll be at adult power level soon. You might even find more new powers before or after then.” Tikki smiled, taking a moment to give her chosen a loving look, adoration sparkling in her eyes. “You should be very proud, Marinette.”

“Thank you, Tikki. You should be proud, too. I never would have come this far without your support,” Marinette added, affectionately returning the smile. She had almost completely forgotten about her sketches now, giving all of her attention to the kwami. Somehow, it felt as if nothing between them had changed at all. It was easy to slip into old patterns, Tikki hovering over Marinette as she picked up her pencil again and started to work in earnest on a new design for her suit. That was how they spent most of the night too, until Tikki dozed off on top of a pair of gloves sitting on the desk, and Marinette put her head down on the desk soon after, both slipping into a peaceful sleep. 

———

Stepping back into life as Chat Noir had been a little harder than Adrien expected. Plagg had been more than a little hurt and upset, and understandably so. The worst part of it was that they hadn’t even had time to talk things out. As soon as the alerts had started coming into his phone that there was some kind of villain in Paris again, Master Fu had appeared, offering him the silver ring again. He had accepted without hesitation, knowing his lady would be there, and seeing her was more important than anything else. He hadn’t even had time to consider what he was doing, either. In all those years, he had never even considered the possibility of him getting these powers back. It had seemed entirely impossible, and that was largely his own fault. Then Fu had told him that Ladybug was headed for Montparnasse Tower, and would surely need her partner, it had all slipped away again. Even if he had his doubts that she really needed him, he needed her, no doubting that. 

So he vaulted off towards the tower, in search of his lady once more, and hoping that he had a chance for things to feel the same. Getting to save her from her fall had just been the icing on the cake. From the moment his arms wrapped around her, it was all he could do not to drag her away from the fight and keep her to himself. All he could think was that it was really her, blue eyes that sparkled in the same way, the exact same freckles and that effortless smile that so easily coaxed a grin from him. It was really, truly her. Every other moment of the day was a blur in comparison, just flashes of red and black, blue eyes and wide smiles. It was the things that came after that were harder. 

Trying to explain things to Plagg had been the hardest of all. There was no easy way to admit that he had given up on himself, after all. Nor were explaining the rest of his choices from the past two years. After the kwami refused to even look at him anymore, Adrien had just left him a plate of Camembert and tried to give him space. That wasn’t easy either. 

When he watched the news that night, the channels were filled with pictures and videos of Hollower and Ladybug’s showdown at the Eiffel Tower. The flash of guilt he had for not being there was nothing compared to the pride at how confidently his lady had stood her ground, even when he knew she had to have been shaken to her core. She had always been that strong though, even if she refused to see it. The Miraculous burst ability was a surprise, though. He hadn’t even known there were more powers. Even Plagg had taken notice of it, pausing his sulking to look at the television and smirk, shaking his head as he muttered something to himself. When he noticed Adrien watching, he had quickly turned it into a glare and gone back to the cheese, apparently not ready to make peace yet. 

Which was fine, Adrien supposed. He could wait, however long it took. This was something worth waiting for after all, no matter how he looked at it. He needed Plagg just as much as he did Ladybug. 

The next day brought a similarly grouchy Plagg, though he at least managed to speak to Adrien in the morning — although it was just a very sullen ‘I’m hungry’. Sulking and pouting couldn’t deter him though, as he ordered every expensive cheese he could, hoping to bribe the kwami into at least one transformation that day. Surprisingly, it had worked. 

It was a completely unexpected series of events that had left him in this position though, upside-down and dangling by one foot from the beam of an empty warehouse. Chat Noir looked around desperately, fighting the urge to yowl as he tried to reach his baton at his back. He hadn’t figured out how he would use it yet, but when his desperate claws finally found a grip on it, he yanked it forward. Looking up and then down, he shook his head, trying and failing to form some sort of plan. Unlucky as ever, it seemed his only option was to make a call and hope that she was transformed and able to assist. His bad luck showed even more when the useless baton slipped from his hands as soon as he hit the call button. 

“Well, shit.” He shook his head, groaning slightly and looking at the silver baton on the ground far below him. It was too far to fall, even if he could somehow manage to cataclysm the rope. Even then, he would have to detransform, and that meant not seeing his lady. Since that was clearly the worse alternative, he resigned himself to being stuck and having to wait. 

He had been hanging for what felt like hours when he heard a laugh, somewhere in the beams above his head. Light footsteps sounded above him and dust scattered as he waited for the person to reveal themselves. Suddenly, he started swinging, watching the ground getting farther away as he was tugged upward by the unseen help. As soon as his foot hit the beam again, he was curling upwards, trying to somehow sink his claws into the metal beam and pull his body up. Instead, a red-gloved hand grabbed his and he followed the arm up to a face, grinning madly upon recognition. He pulled his lady towards him and into his arms almost immediately, finally relaxing when she was close. Caught up in enjoying it, he was only snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of Ladybug clearing her throat. 

“Uh, hiya, kitty,” she mumbled, slowly and hesitantly pulling away. She didn’t pull too far away, still within arm's reach but trying to maintain some semblance of personal space. Her face was bright pink, blushing furiously from under her mask. Realizing he had been a little aggressive, he chuckled awkwardy, reaching up to rub the back of his neck with one hand. 

“Sorry, my lady, didn’t mean to ambush you.” He at least had the decency to look embarrassed, even if he was jumping for joy on the inside. 

“S’alright, Chaton. I think that was probably a very overdue hug,” she answered, almost stumbling over her words in her haste to clear that worried look from his eyes. “After all, we have two years to catch up on, and I may have brought some treats.” 

Chat Noir grinned wickedly, taking notice of the familiar smell of his favorite croissants. He was quick to snatch the paper bag from her hand, tearing into a croissant as soon as he could get it out of the bag. He was so enamored with the flaky pastry that he didn’t notice the bright laughter coming from his partner, at least at first. When he finally realized she was laughing at him, he shoved the rest in his mouth, taking pride in the way her laughs increase at his puffed out cheeks. He had missed that laugh, far too much. Finally swallowing, he sighed and looked at Ladybug again. 

“I don’t suppose your afternoon is free, my lady?” he asked cautiously. If their previous years were anything to judge by, it wasn’t too likely that she would spend that much time with him. Still, he couldn’t help but hope that this counted as a special circumstance. She looked positively shocked by the question, and he readied himself for another pitying rejection and an excuse about dangers or secret identities. 

“What are you talking about, Chat? Of course it is. Why else would I be here? Silly kitty, come on.” She shook her head, reaching up to swipe a finger at his bell before turning around again, throwing her yo-yo to loop around a higher rafter. Her turned back completely missed the dopey look of adoration he gave her, eyes and mouth wide and staring, almost not believing what she had said.

“Are you coming, Chaton?” 

——

After an afternoon and evening well spent running across all of Paris, Adrien was exhausted. Memories of the day danced through his mind; talking atop the Eiffel Tower, taking pictures with fans near the Arc de Triomphe, playing tag through the warehouse district. It all felt like a dream still. When he had finally gotten home, the sun had long set, and he was exhausted. Plagg seemed less upset with him, though it was hard to tell for sure when his only clues were how much the cat kwami complained. Since he had been downright Shakespearean in his complaints when Adrien had detransformed at last, he could only assume it was progress. As a reward and a bribe, Adrien gave him a whole wheel of Camembert to gnaw his way through, something that was taking him much longer than he expected. The kwami seemed to actually be taking his time with it, breaking off small chunks and staring at Adrien in between bites. 

“Alright, spit it out already,” Adrien muttered, more than a little fed up with the constant looks from the kwami. 

“You know exactly what I’m thinking about, kid, why’d you even have to ask?” 

“Plagg, whatever explanations I give you, would you actually listen with an open mind?” Adrien turned to completely face the kwami, looking across the room at him. The kwami hadn’t even stopped eating, somehow managing to look concerned and disinterested at the same time. 

“That’s not the point. You’re not even gonna try? You would have been stumbling over yourself to shut me up and make me understand by now if-”

“If what?” Adrien snapped, his eyes suddenly bright with anger and something else, something much deeper and guarded. “If we hadn’t been separated? If I was still eighteen? Sorry to say, I’m not anymore. It’s been two years. Things have changed.” 

Adrien shook his head, sighing and leaning back in his chair. His head tipped back and he looked at the ceiling, trying to push his emotions back before they got out of control. 

Plagg sighed as well, finally putting down the cheese and floating over to the blonde. “Look, kid, I know that. But you know she’s going to find out eventually, don’t you? It’ll break her heart.” 

“Please, can we not ruin today yet? I promise, I’ll face the real world tomorrow.” Adrien tilted his head back down, locking eyes with the kwami. They could both feel the difference between them, and it was almost akin to pain. There was a cold stone wall there now, and Adrien didn’t even seem that interested in bringing it down. Even with the distance though, Plagg could feel his chosen hurting. He couldn’t rightly bring himself to press the matter any further. After all, the kid knew he would tear himself apart with this, and he still wanted to risk it. There wasn’t much either of them could change right now. So, as he had done for millenia, the kwami pushed aside the problems of humans and their stupidity, trying to find some enjoyment in what he claimed was his only love. Not that it would work. He was pure bad luck. They both were now. 

And they knew tomorrow wouldn’t be anything different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took a while to update! For some time there, I was moving and had no internet, and there were holidays and more moving shenanigans, and in between all that stress, I lost the will to write. I’m still finding it again, but this chapter is ready! Thank you for reading.
> 
> If you’re interested, I’ll be posting some artwork/character designs and such on my tumblr @multimousemari 
> 
> Feel free to follow, but I’ll try to link the art on here as well, so remember to check the notes!


	8. Flowers and Fairy Lights

“I don’t know, Alya, are you sure this is really a good idea?” Marinette turned to her friend again, giving her the same unsure look that she had for the past hour. 

“God, girl, how many times do I have to say yes? People want to see you, Marinette. I promise you that,” Alya added with a laugh, shaking her head at the reluctance she had. “And you want to see them, don’t you?” 

Marinette glared at her, because they both knew the answer to that. “Of course I do, you don’t even have to ask. I’m just worried that… well, what if they’re mad at me?” 

She felt a little ridiculous to be worried about something like that. Marinette was an adult, after all, she was sure she should be better at not worrying what people thought of her by now. It was getting harder and harder to think about how stagnant her life had been for two years. Especially when she was faced with Alya, who had already worked her way into a career in that short time. She had always known Alya was amazing, though, so she couldn’t really even be surprised. It wasn’t that she was jealous either, because she was beyond proud of her friends. She was just disappointed in herself. 

“Marinette. Girl, you have to try to get out of your head a little. No one is anything more than mildly worried, and even if they are, we’ll handle it.” Alya looked at her again, something a little pained in her expression, showing in the tightness in her jaw and her refusal to really look Marinette in the eyes. “Is it really so wrong of them to be upset anyways? You just disappeared, which I would hope you know was totally not okay.” 

Marinette blanched, scooting back a little on Alya’s couch with apprehension as she absorbed the words. She felt stupid for not noticing it earlier. Of course Alya was still upset, given the circumstances.

“I’m truly sorry, Alya.” Marinette grabbed both of her friend’s hands, trying to coax her into meeting her eyes. “I know I’ll never be able to say it enough times, and it’ll never make up for everything entirely, but I really am sorry. I… I don’t know what I was thinking back then.” 

Both girls had wide eyes, brimming with unshed tears as they finally started to realize that they couldn’t just immediately fall back into old patterns. They did have healing to work through, but Marinette was willing to try, and she hoped Alya was too. If she had enough luck left in her, maybe they could come out of this stronger than ever. 

Before she completely burst into tears, Alya threw herself forward and wrapped around Marinette, shaking her head and sniffling quietly. “I know, Marinette. I’m trying not to hold a grudge because I hate that, and I told you that I wouldn’t, but it might take me some time. But I really don’t want to lose you again,” she concluded softly, mumbling the last sentence into her friend’s shoulder. Even with the barrier of lost time, things didn’t feel entirely different. And Alya had grown now, and she wasn’t planning on letting a little bit of separation and hurt feelings ruin this bond. 

Clearing her throat softly and wiping tears from her face, Marinette finally pulled away, giving Alya a dorky smile. “We should probably get back to planning then, huh?” 

“You’ve got that right, girl,” Alya said, quickly perking up and reaching for her laptop to start typing out the plans. They had already put together a considerable amount, which was impressive considering the amount of pure Marinette brand anxiety they had already handled that day. “So, I think all we have left are the decorations and the guest list, which are both pretty straightforward, I think.” 

Marinette nodded, turning the screen towards her slightly to read what Alya had on her document. “I mean you have most of the guests figured out already too,” she said, smiling slightly. Alya knew her so well. “You’ve got all the usual suspects, plus you even added the ones outside of the class.” She scanned over the list with a fond smile. 

_Guest List  
Alya  
Nino  
Rose  
Juleka  
Alix  
Nathaniel  
Marc  
Ivan  
Mylene  
Max  
Sabrina  
Kim (and Ondine?)  
Mireille  
Luka ??_

Marinette couldn’t help but agree with the question marks next to Luka’s name. In all honesty, she wasn’t sure what the procedure there was. It wasn’t like they had really exclusively dated, and things hadn’t ended horribly at all. They had been good friends actually, despite Marinette’s awkwardness and consistent failure to actually sort through her own feelings. It was better to invite him, especially since his sister was being invited. If he heard about the party and knew he hadn’t been included, Marinette would be mortified. 

“This all looks pretty perfect, Alya,” Marinette said, glancing up at the brunette. “And it’s a yes on Luka.” For a second, she thought about asking the obvious question, but decided against it. Alya had left him off of the list for a reason. From what she had heard, the blonde model had pulled even more of a disappearing act than she had. It was thinking about him that led her to her last invite, though. 

Alya was typing away on her laptop again once she had confirmation that the guest list was good, and Marinette bit her lip, trying to figure out how to phrase her idea without giving her friend a heart attack of some kind. 

“I also, um, I want to invite Chloè.” 

Alya stopped abruptly, the laptop almost falling out of her lap with the sudden way her hands jolted to a stop. “What?” 

Marinette grimaced, roughly rubbing her face with her hands and groaning. “I said that I want to invite-”

“Yeah, I heard that, I just didn’t actually believe it. Just one teeny tiny question here. WHY?” Alya moved the laptop from her lap, since it seemed clear that it was in imminent danger of being thrown from it. Marinette’s face was unreadable for once, something that was shocking for a girl who almost always kept her heart on her sleeve. No matter how deeply Alya tried to pry into her expression, she couldn’t puzzle anything out. 

Marinette just sighed, nodding slowly. “I know, I sound nuts. I just, I don’t know, I think it’s worth trying.” Marinette knew she sounded a little crazy, and she almost couldn’t believe herself either. “It’s obvious that everyone has changed and matured. Chloè, for all her insanity, could have changed too. And I just don’t want to have burned bridges anymore, Alya. I feel like giving her a chance is the right choice.” 

“It’s your party, girl. I’ll try to trust your judgement, at least.” Alya nodded, adding the last name to the list. She didn’t personally know much about what the blonde had even gotten up to. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure that no one did, even Sabrina. Chloè had split off from the class just as much as Marinette had, though it wasn’t entirely a surprise to anyone. She had made it pretty clear that she didn’t really like anyone there. It would be interesting to try to get the invite to her, at least, even if it was unlikely she’d even show up.

“Alright, just the decorations left, right?” Marinette continued, already starting to stand up. Alya nodded and she grinned, an excited little gleam in her eyes. “I’ll handle those then, I already have some ideas. Just meet me two hours before the party, and we can get everything set up and get ready together, okay?” 

Alya narrowed her eyes, trying to pin down exactly what that look in Marinette’s eyes was. “I’m starting to think that you’re up to something, Dupain-Cheng. Should I be worried?” Her mock concern veiled genuine surprise, as she really hadn’t expected Marinette to be so eager for any kind of party. 

“Not at all. Promise, okay? I’ll see you on Saturday, 5 o’clock sharp,” she said, slipping her coat on and opening the door to the apartment that Alya was renting. “And when I say sharp I definitely mean sharp-ish,” she added with a cheeky grin, laughing as she stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. For most of her walk home, Marinette had a smile on her lips. Even lost in thoughts and plans, she was feeling good, because things were going to be good. She was sure of it. 

———

Saturday arrived quietly, sneaking up on Marinette as she hurried to braid segments of ribbon and piece together decorations with paint and gallons of hot glue. She might have possibly gone a little overboard on the decorations, but she had also been too excited to dim her creativity. It was even better that she’d already had pretty much everything that she wanted to use for the decorations. 

She checked everything one last time, making sure it was all dry and solidly stuck in place in the right spots. Then, she loaded it all up into a medium crate and a tote bag, grabbing her dress bag and draping it into the crate. Shockingly, she was right on schedule, and after a train ride and a short walk, she was walking up the stairs to the address Alya had given her. 

Marinette had been more happy than surprised to hear that Alya and Nino were living together. She shipped them together almost as much as Alya had shipped her and Adrien. No, the actual surprise was the positively posh building they lived in, and the fact that they were on the top floor. They were hosting the party there, split between the apartment itself and the connecting rooftop terrace that could have rivaled Chloè’s. She rang the bell at the door, and less than a second later, the door swung open roughly. Alya peeked out and Marinette didn’t even have a chance to mumble out a greeting before Alya was dragging her inside. 

The apartment was beyond anything Marinette anticipated, impeccably furnished with modern decor that still managed to feel homey with accents in warm oranges, purples and reds. Alya grinned proudly, sweeping them both towards a large sectional and flopping down onto it rather gracelessly. 

“I can see that look in your eyes, and all I can say is I know right?!” Alya’s grin widened as she glanced around the apartment. Marinette couldn’t help but notice that she seemed to fit right in with it all too, with her sleek and glamorous updated look. Alya sat up again, taking the bag out of Marinette’s hands. “Well, girl, you tell me, where do you wanna start?” 

Marinette stared awkwardly, still mentally obsessing over the tiny decor details. Somehow, she managed to snap herself out of it and cleared her throat, nodding over-enthusiastically. “Well, inside or outside first?” 

They got to work quickly, hurrying around with rolls of tape and matching expressions of anticipation and excitement. It only took about half an hour for all of the decorations to be placed to Marinette’s liking, and they say back for a second to admire their work. 

The apartment looked just as sleek as before, but now it seemed to glow too. Almost all of the normal lights had been turned off or covered with colored slips of fabric that cast the whole room in a soft, warm radiance. Even without knowing exactly what the apartment looked like, Marinette was proud that there was still a nearly seamless flow to the whole space. The most work had been put into assembling garlands made of cream and mauve colored flowers with gold streamers and ribbons as accents. There were strands of it all over the place, carefully hung and displayed. Outside, the garland continued, but now accompanied by paper lanterns in the same three colors and strings of medium sized globe lights. 

“Girl, you really outdid yourself,” Alya murmured softly as she looked around the completed decor in wonder. “I don’t understand how you managed to match my apartment without even knowing what it really looked like. I think you’ve got some kind of latent psychic abilities,” she added jokingly, chuckling under her breath. 

Marinette blushed, trying to shrug the comments off as her cheeks turned pink. “Well, I had most of the stuff already, and uh, the flowers were garlands I had bought on sale and just added accents too, so it’s not really that big of a deal, and paper lanterns are like a constant with my-”

“Marinette, could you please just accept a compliment?” Alya said sternly, cutting off her rambling. The disapproval quickly shifted to an amused half smile, and Alya shook her head as Marinette stared silently. “You’re still the only person I know who goes above and beyond to diminish their own efforts. Humility is one thing, but this is just self-deprecation and denial at this point, girl.”

“I don’t know,” she mumbled stubbornly in reply, always the hard headed one when it came to herself. “I just don’t see it as all that much. I’d do it for anyone, you know that.”

Alya shook her head again, clicking her tongue like a hovering mother hen as she wrapped Marinette up in a tight hug. “That’s the point, girl. Most people don’t do things like that. You’re special.” 

Marinette squeezed her back, hesitantly at first, but then with everything she could after she heard what her friend said. It was probably the most meaningful thing she had been told in a while, and it made her feel comfortably warm. “Thank you, Alya.” 

“Yeah, yeah, thank me by helping me decide what to wear,” the brunette said dryly, trying to cover up the wobbling in her voice with mocking humor. She pulled away, grabbing Marinette’s hand and pulling her in the direction of the bedroom. 

It took them another half hour to go through almost the entire contents of Alya’s wardrobe before they decided on a dress. It was a very form-fitting black mini dress, with a square neckline and long mesh sleeves. In all honesty, it was a simple dress, but Alya made it look absolutely radiant, and she had insisted that there was nothing more tried and true than a little black dress. Once she had gotten it on, she turned away so that Marinette could get into her own. 

When Alya turned around, she found herself caught between a gasp of horror and a full on fit of laughter. “Oh, Marinette, what is t h a t?” she asked, her eyes wide and nearly popping out of her head. “Girl, that dress looks like it crawled out of a collection of the most popular school dance dresses from 2010.”

The dress in question fit that description well. Soft pink, with a sweetheart neckline and a moderately fluffy tulle skirt that stopped at mid-thigh, it was nothing like Alya had been expecting.

Marinette groaned, nodding and slapping her hands over her face. “I knoooooooow. I didn’t have anything else that I thought would work, and then I forgot to go shopping and now I’m going to look like some 14 year old dorkasaurus!” 

Alya laughed, shaking her head at her friend as she turned back to her closet. “You’re lucky, because I happen to have something that might work. I never even got to wear it because I didn’t set the dryer right and it shrank a whole lot.” She dug around, the scrape of hangers echoing in the silent room, before emerging victoriously with a hanger in hand. On it was a dark blue dress that almost looked like a simple slip. Marinette looked at it apprehensively, already able to tell that it was thinner and tighter than most other dresses she had worn. Sensing her hesitance, Alya gave her a look and just held out the hanger and turned around. 

Knowing she wasn’t going to get out of this one, She unzipped her pink dress and shimmied into the new one, instantly becoming self-conscious at the lack of layering there was on her. The poofy skirt of the pink dress had felt a little ridiculous, but still protective. This dress, though, was hardly like wearing anything at all. The shoulders and back was almost entirely open except for the tiny spaghetti straps, which meant she would likely have to go without a bra. Even though the dress went almost to her ankle, one side had a slit that went all the way up to mid-thigh. It was the complete opposite of anything she had ever worn, and it was a little terrifying. 

Alya turned around once she stopped hearing fabric rustling around, turning to stone as soon as she saw how the dress looked. Whistling like an idiot and slowly clapping her hands, she nodded. “Oh that’s so unbelievably perfect. Girl, you have to believe me on this, I don’t doubt that you might be a little uncomfortable, but I promise that this look is worth it.” She quickly darted back to the closet and rummaged through the bottom of it, coming out with a pair of simple heels in a close shade of blue. “Trust me, okay?” 

Marinette swallowed, stiffly nodding her head and trying to not let her worry get the best of her. “Okay.”

———

It took less time than they expected for the guests to arrive and kick the little party into full swing. Nino had put together an excellent mix of songs to suit everyone’s tastes, and it looked like almost everyone was there. They were an hour and a half in already, and it was nearing nine pm, which was a shock to Marinette.

She had spent pretty much the entire time being swept around between people, trying her best to keep up with conversations and answer any questions that were asked of her. It had been awkward at first, mainly because she was still so sure that they should be and would be mad at her. So far though, no one had even seemed to show anything other than genuine affection. She actually felt welcome, and wanted, something she had forgotten in recent years. 

Finally getting a break, Marinette disappeared into the kitchen area to grab another drink. She was probably a little tipsy, but the champagne was good, and she was feeling good enough to match. For once, she didn’t feel guilty about indulging herself, so she was determined to do so. Aftershe had refilled her glass, she leaned on the counter, propping her elbow on the marble surface and sighing. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched her classmates interact. Kim and Max were making some sort of bet with Nino, though she couldn’t tell what it was. Nino looked determined, and Kim looked almost wickedly eager, which meant they were definitely up to some kind of trouble. Before she could even begin to worry about what they had planned, an arm was draping over her shoulder and she turned to see Alya. 

“Everything looks great, girl. Get rid of that little worry wrinkle, you’re gonna put crinkles in your makeup,” Alya teased, poking the spot between Marinette’s brows. Marinette rolled her eyes and nodded, grinning slightly. 

“It’s not the party I’m worried about,” she replied with clear amusement, tilting her chin toward the boys. Alya took one look and sighed, shielding her eyes with a hand. 

“Ooh, girl, I don’t even want to think about the kinds of trouble that boy is getting into.” She shook her head and laughed, starting to drag Marinette away from the counter. “Come on, grab your drink and come mingle some more.”

Doing as she was told, she topped the glass off some more before leaving and then quickly hooked her arm with her friends as she walked away. “Thank you for hosting, by the way. I can’t believe I haven’t said that yet.” 

Alya shrugged, latching onto her friend tightly, even leaning her head towards her. “I’m happy to do it, Marinette. It’s really just good to have you back.” She smiled, patting the raven-haired girl on the head teasingly. “Besides, this was all Nino’s idea anyway. He’ll use any excuse for a party.”

“I don’t doubt it. He definitely seems to like trouble,” Marinette teased back, giving her friend a pointed look and nudging her side. “After all, look at who he’s dating.”

Alya stopped and pulled away, gaping at her for a second before grinning wickedly. “Oh you’re so in for it, girl, just wait.” Tapping her chin, her eyes narrowed as she started to form a revenge scheme. “I wonder how many embarrassing stories about fourteen year old Marinette I could remind everyone of.”

“Please no,” Marinette said quickly, face paling at the idea of Alya reminding anyone at all about the blathering mess she had been in the past. “I will literally do anything, I’ll clean the whole party up alone, I’ll fetch drinks for you all night long, I will b e g.”

The brunette doubled over in laughter suddenly, overcome with it at the over-dramatic reaction. “I was just playing, Marinette, gosh, girl, relax,” she sighed, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes as the last few laughs got out of her system. 

Marinette groaned, pressing her hands to the side of her head and finally exhaling with relief. “So not funny, that would be-”

“Marinette?” a voice interrupted her and she turned around, almost falling into the chest of a tall figure in a leather jacket. Her eyes flicked upward and she immediately grinned, her cheeks turning slightly pink. 

“Luka! You’re here!” She squeaked, eyes almost as wide as her smile. “It’s so good to see you, I thought you would be too busy to make it?”

“Well, I, uh, made some time,” he offered awkwardly, trying to shrug it off with nonchalance. Marinette stepped back to give them  
both some personal space, taking the chance to look him up and down. 

He honestly looked great, she couldn’t help but notice. Still as edgily styled as he had been for years, but it suited him even more now. His hair was shorter and even shaved on the sides, but still that familiar teal-blue that he had always kept it. Other than that, he hadn’t actually appeared to have changed much from when she had last seen him, which made sense. He had always been older than the rest of them, and looked it, too. 

Realizing she had been standing there silently staring, Marinette turned red again, feeling her face heat up. “GOOD!” she shouted suddenly and then blushed even deeper, shaking her head. “I mean, that’s good. It’s good you’re here, great really.” Losing the ability to look him in the eye, he eyes sloped down to the floor again, staring at a particularly interesting scratch in the laminate tile. Even without seeing it, she could feel the amused smile he was definitely looking at her with, and she suddenly felt self conscious again. She crossed her arms in front of her, trying to cover them and her shoulders up without making even more of an idiot of herself. 

“Okay, well!” Alya interjected into the awkward silence. “I’m going to go see what trouble Nino has gotten himself into, you two catch up and have fun.” 

Marinette whipped her head up to give her friend a desperate look, but the brunette just winked and turned away anyways. “Traitor,” she mumbled under her breath at the turned back.

“What did you say, Marinette?” Luka asked, and she blanched, shaking her head quickly. 

“Oh, nothing! Nothing at all.” She dropped her arms from in front of her, instead wringing her hands together, only to quickly bring her arms back up when she remembered how showy the dress was. “So! Uh. What have you been up to?”

Obviously noticing her weirdness, Luka took pity on her and tried to fill the silence. “Well, I’ve been playing a lot of music, still. Even if it’s not Kitty Section anymore, my new band is pretty great. We’ve played some local shows, which has been fun.” 

“Oh, that’s cool! I mean, we all knew music was your thing,” she said in response, nodding at him to continue. 

“Yeah, well, I’ve been trying to make it work. It’s not always easy to make a living out of it, but that might change soon.”

“Why, what happened?” His tone worried her a little, since he didn’t really seem excited, but he didn’t seem upset either. 

Shaking his head, he grinned slightly. “No, it’s a good thing. I don’t know if you talk to Jagged anymore, but he actually talked to a friend of his to get the band signed onto a small alternative record label. We’ve got an EP coming out soon.”

“Really?!” Marinette’s eyes went wide and she stepped back again, taking in his dismissive demeanor. “You say that like it’s nothing! That’s amazing, Luka!” 

He shrugged at that and she shook her head, making up her mind to not allow him to play this off lightly. Instead, she stepped forward and threw her arms around his torso a hug. Shocked, he stumbled back at first, but quickly caught himself and cautiously hugged her back. “Thanks, Marinette.”

She blushed slightly as his softly whispered thanks, nodding and tightening the hug a bit. He always had been humble, even when he had a right to be proud. Marinette suddenly became overaware of the way her heart was pounding, and how hot her face felt, and even worse, how completely silent the the room was. Stepping back, she looked up at him first, and realized he wasn’t even looking at her, and his eyes were focused over by the entrance. She turned around, and nearly fell over. 

The entire party had gone still and stood soundlessly, all staring at the door that had just closed behind two entering figures. Standing in the entryway were two elegant and rich looking blondes, one who looked thrilled to have the spotlight, and the other who seemed to want to hide behind his companion. 

The name was out of her mouth before she could stop it, muttered incredulously into the silence of the room. 

“Adrien?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oops :)
> 
> love you all i promise


	9. Announcement - Upcoming!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little announcement after a while of silence!

Hi everyone!

I know it has been a long, long while since an update! I appreciate some of the interest I've received, and I wanted anyone still following this project to know that it is NOT forgotten. This work holds a close place to my heart for a lot of reasons. When I initially gained an interest in the ML fandom, this was how I introduced myself to it! For me, more than anything, I love the lore of this wonderful show, and the room for exploration of dynamics that it presents. From the beginning, this project has been the perfect way for me to explore that. In case that's not clear enough. 

I have NO intentions of abandoning this project. 

In fact, it's quite the opposite. This work has a planned TWO sequels that I have roughly plotted out and am very excited to write. (The issue being that sometimes my brain gets ahead of itself, and I spend so much time thinking about the future plots that I lose my train of thought in the current ones.) Now, if you're reading this, I'm sure you might be wondering, well, what does this mean right now?

I am in the process of editing and cleaning up the previously posted and written chapters to guide myself out of this slump. I need a little bit of time to work out a more solid direction for the next segment of plot, as well as hopefully write out a few chapters in advance so that I can provide more regular updates. I foresee this taking approximately a month at most, though I can't guarantee that as I'm coming out of a long period of burn-out. I've been coming to terms with a lot of personal traumas and changes, which has made writing hard, but I'm finally getting to a place where I feel like I can use my voice the way I need to again. 

Now, I want to thank you for taking any interest in this story at all. It was always a project that I was worried wouldn't get much love or attention because it's so different from the tone of the show itself. I do intend to make this fluffy at points, romantic, but also heart-wrenching and impactful at others. These characters are no longer fourteen and still learning to crawl through life. They are adults, now somewhat stumbling on their own two feet, and they will make larger, more consequential decisions and mistakes. Their emotions are bigger. And that's part of why I love exploring this world in this way. 

Finally, as a thank you for sticking around and reading through this little ramble, a few ideas of what to look forward to.

Combat! Lots of it. I'm a sucker for big battle scenes.  
The Safety of a Mask OFFICIAL Playlist! (and maybe discord server?)   
More identity shenanigans than we will know what to do with, as well as a dramatic one-sided reveal somewhere down the line.  
and finally, the plot twist to end ALL plot twists (that some of you may have already pieced together, one of my editing goals is more SUBTLE foreshadowing)

Again, thank you so much for your support! It means the world to me. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to me on tumblr @marimeetsmischief !


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